The Last Endeavor
by rain0205
Summary: Old legends bring back old intimate connections, and a whole new team. But can the past stay in the past? Or will the past determine a new future? One long forgotten in the shadows? There's only one way to find out... Credit goes to the authors: NIchiki and rain0205
1. Serenity Shattered

HELLO! welcome to this AMAZING Yu Yu Hakusho, Inuyasha CROSSOVERR! CAPS ARE FOR EXCITMENT! WOOOOOOOO! anyway, this is something that myself and NIchiki have worked on TOGETHER! meaning that we'll both post it on our pages and take full credit for OUR work. this first chapter is brought to you by my partner in crime herself, so please, have a glorious day and let us know what you think :D

Neither of us own any sort of characters EXCEPT! OC's. visit the page of rain0205 for a list of OCs. for anyone confused about this, you will see my Yu Yu Hakusho stories and maybe have a better understanding of my OCs and the time frame of everything going on. I'm like marvel, I make you go on a wild goose chase :D enjoy!

I had a request of pairings, and since it was a guest reviewer i was unable to respond via pm. the pairings thus far are much like the original story. InuyahshaxKagome, SangoxMiroku. YusukexKeiko, YoukoxMoriko, KuramaxSan. There is a slight SesshomaruxMoriko, but I can't really define that pairing without giving away the story. I will also be posting this in the reviews for anyone who may not see this here. Thanks.

...

"And that is how the half demon was put under the priestess' spell and for 50 years, he was in a deep sleep."

Kagome paused in her steps as she shut the well house door and spotted a small group of children and their parents transfixed by her grandfathers tale. Little "oohs" and gasps followed as he made a grand showing of the God tree, pointing out the exact spot where the demon was sealed. She shook her head at his antics and proceeded to the house. He was obviously in his element, and once he got going it was hard to make him stop.

"After 50 years the seal was mysteriously broken by a very powerful Miko. Some say her powers rivaled even the great Midoriko's, and after she broke the spell he was under she placed a subduing spell on the half demon, thus rendering him harmless to her and others."

"Oi old man! How do you know he was harmless and not just a total wuss?" A small boy piped up, clearly having fun poking at the story.

Kagome snorted and choked down a laugh, suddenly very glad Inuyasha decided to stay in the feudal era this time. No doubt he would've ripped the kid a new one for that comment or most likely would've scared the kid shit-less. She was leaning more towards the latter of the two. Ever since the jewel had been completed, more and more stories had popped up about the tale of the Hanyou and the Miko. Many books were written and even a few movies were made. And everyone of them had something slightly wrong about the storyline. More often then not she found herself breathless with laughter as she read the books and watched the movies. She smirked as she recalled how Inuyasha's eyes bugged out at the news. Kagome read him some of the stories and even played a few of the movies for him, and every time they would portray him as either a wuss or a completely feral being. Yeah, he hadn't been too happy about that, as a few TVs hadn't survived his claws.

Her grandfather then decided to jump on the money bandwagon, spouting their shrine was the one where it had resided way back when. He even roped Kagome into it by having someone write scrolls of the many adventures and tales over there and bring them back to display for all to see, much to her dismay. The old man had a bad habit of boasting and bragging too much and every time someone poked holes into his stories she felt a spiteful bit of glee at seeing him sputter. It was rather disrespectful of her, but sometimes the old coot needed to be brought down a peg or two and seeing him at a loss for words was just too damn hilarious to pass up.

"Because my dear boy," Kagome noticed he seemed to force the words out through gritted teeth, a sign he was getting flustered, "Though he was a hanyou, this one was said to have descended from royalty, so his demon blood was very powerful indeed."

"If he was so powerful, then how was he subdued in the first place? I still say he was a wimp to fall under another spell."

"Oh, but this spell was special. An enchanted necklace was placed upon him and whenever he misbehaved all the Miko had to do was say one word to bring him down."

"Oh yeah? What was the word?"

At that Kagome narrowed her eyes and glared at the old man catching his eye. He shrunk back from the look and stammered for a minute. While they had some scrolls of the tale, Kagome, her mother and Kaede all agreed that too many details would make people suspicious and bring too much attention to their shrine. If there were any demons in this era, they didn't need to advertise that perhaps the jewel was real instead of an old legend. Especially since the jewel was still around, albeit in a dormant state, but they didn't need to tempt fate, as it were.

"S..Say have you all been to the gift shop yet? We just got in some lovely Shikon jewel key chains that are 50 percent off!" Her grandfather practically shouted at the group, drowning out any more questions from the overly inquisitive boy and ushered them into a small building.

Kagome sighed as she stepped into the house and was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of her moms home cooking. Inhaling deeply, Kagome smiled as the familiar warmth seeped deep into her bones and she immediately relaxed. Though her true home was in the past now, nothing could ever compare to the place she grew up. It was a place of comfort and respite and she cherished each and every memory the place held for her. She wasted no time kicking off her shoes, tossing her bag onto the floor and sped into the small kitchen where the mouthwatering aroma was wafting from.

"Mom, I'm back!" she proclaimed, throwing her hands out in grand fashion as she skid to a stop on the linoleum. Her mothers smiling face looked up from the stove and that familiar feeling of warmth tripled. Kagome would never get tired of seeing that smile, the one that always seemed to chase her worries away.

"Kagome, dear, it's so good to see you!" her mother said as she wiped her hands on her apron and embraced her oldest child. Pulling back, she tenderly brushed some fly away hairs on her head and kissed her forehead gently. Kagome may have been 18 now, but to her mother she would always be that small little girl constantly getting into mischief. Three years had gone by since the defeat of Naraku and the jewel had been completed finally. The final battle was intense, but in the end they managed to overpower the spider and finally obliterate him from existence, much to everyone's relief.

Misuki remembered that day well, when Kagome and Inuyasha limped through the front door looking ragged, clothes ripped and multiple injuries on both of them. But what stood out in her mind was the smiles on both of their faces. They were clearly exhausted, and in dire need of baths, but they were happy and so relieved that everything had turned out alright in the end. After fussing over both of them, shoving them both into a bath and stuffed them full of food, all three family members sat down and listened to the epic tale. More then once she had to stifle a gasp as a truly terrifying moment was relayed. She couldn't believe how brave her little Kagome had been, facing down an evil like that and coming back the victor, but she couldn't have been more proud of her in that moment. After all, it wasn't everyday that your child saves the world from a dire future. And there was no doubt that whatever future would've resulted from Naraku surviving in some shape or form, would've been dire indeed. Misuki shuddered to even think of such a thing.

Since then Kagome had graduated from high school, but insisted that her true future (no pun intended) belonged in the past with the new family she'd acquired. At first Misuki had been extremely sad thinking she would never see her little girl again, but Kagome put all their fears to rest. By pure accident they found out that Kagome had the ability to control the well and it answered to her alone. So if she willed it to stay open for all eternity then it would.

Even though Kagome trusted the well to stay open, Inuyasha wasn't as trusting, at least not at first. So for at least 6 months, whenever she came to see her family he would be right beside her stuck to her side like a barnacle. It was almost as if he didn't keep an eye on her she would vanish before his eyes. After a while though he became convinced that the well wouldn't close and eventually let her visit her family by herself most times, though he still tagged along the majority of the time. Much to her daughters frustration and her amusement. It took a long time to get to this point and everyone was relieved thinking they could get on with their lives and move on, leaving the past firmly behind them. It was almost like the world gave a collective sigh.

"Hey mom? You ok?" Kagome waved a hand in front of her mothers face, snapping her back into reality.

"Hmm? Oh yes, just reminiscing about the past is all, and thinking about how grown up my baby is." She replied with a grin at her daughters scoff. Misuki rubbed her nose on Kagome's briefly, something they used to do back when she was little. "You will always be my baby young lady. Now, what would you like to eat? I had a feeling you would be stopping by so I made your favorite!"

Kagomes eyes widened as she squealed out what sounded like were supposed to be words. "ODEN!?"

"Guess that answers my question if Kagome's home or not," an amused teenage boy sauntered into the kitchen, but stopped short when Kagome launched herself at him.

"Gah sis...come on..OW...watch the hair!" Souta whined as he tried to fend off an overly affectionate sister.

He was still in his early teens, all gangly as his body developed and a slight crack could be heard in his voice. Her baby brother was growing up, but she never wasted an opportunity to remind him who was the oldest as she gave him a hard noogie successfully messing up with spiky raven hair.

Kagome pulled back, both breathless from their little exchange and gave her brother a soft smile.

"You're getting so big. Soon you'll be taller then me and I wont be able to tackle you without a step stool," she teased.

He smiled back as he picked her up and swung her around in a circle, child-like giggles burst from her and she clung to him. He brought her back down and wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. They always teased each other relentlessly, but in truth they were thick as thieves and they treasured each encounter like it would be their last.

The silence was broken as Kagome pulled back a little and tousled his hair once more for good measure, smiling at the grumbling from Souta.

"You look more and more like dad everyday. You'll be a handsome man when you get older bro," Souta stopped trying to fix his hair and blushed deeply. He was still such a shy young man, but he was growing in confidence everyday.

"T...Thanks sis," He mumbled.

"Ok you two time for dinner. Go wash up and I'll set the table." Misuki announced.

As they both scrambled out the kitchen door, Kagome paused. "Hey mom, do you want me to go get gramps?"

"There's no need sweety. Tonight is his poker night and he will be out til at least ten."

"But I just saw him outside not ten minutes ago."

Misuki chuckled, "He came in and left while you and your brother were busy tussling."

Kagome grinned cheekily and flounced away, "You know I can't resist tackling my baby bro!"

Misuki smiled as she heard more grumbling from her son and giggles coming from the open bathroom door. Yes, things were definitely settling down alright and deep down she hoped it would stay like this for a long time.

Dinner had been entertaining, with Kagome telling them of Shippo's latest pranks on Inuyasha, Miroku's cursed hand still finding it's way to Sango's bottom and her weapon in return meeting his thick skull. Misuki often mused that it was a miracle the monk had any brain cells left with every blow to the head Sango seemed to give him. Kagome just wondered how he hadn't gotten a concussion yet. Every time Kagome came home they made it into a family night of sorts. So after dinner they all crowded around the TV watching movies and just enjoying each others company.

Kagome threaded her fingers through Souta's hair, pulling him closer to her as she sighed deeply, content for the moment. He was in his usual spot on the floor between her legs against the couch. The floor littered with pillows and blankets, Misuki curled into Kagome's side dozing lightly. Souta was just about to join his mother in sleep when the fingers tightened in his hair, earning a yelp from him as he jerked out of her grasp and turned to yell at her to be more gentle. He stopped however when she seemed frozen to the spot, breathing erratically, her eyes wide. Having been jerked awake Misuki and Souta sat dumbfounded, not understanding what was happening.

Kagome gasped, arching clear off the couch and both her mother and brother gasped with her as her eyes started to glow a brilliant purple. A rhythmic thumping assaulted their ears and they noticed the purple glow in her eyes seemed to thrum in time with the thumping. With a start they both realized that it was her heartbeat they were hearing and it was speeding up, dramatically. Misuki grabbed at her daughter frantically trying to get her to lay down, while Souta helped.

"What's going on? Why is she glowing? What's happening to my baby?!" Misuki wailed.

They were just about to call for an ambulance when the thumping stilled and an eerie calm descended around them. But somehow they knew that wasn't the end of it, so they braced for whatever was coming next and thank god they did. A shock wave burst from Kagome's body sending them sprawling back from her as she seemed to rise in midair for a split second. Time seemed to stand still as Souta and Misuki watched Kagome descend back onto the couch gently. They sat there, stunned and panting, trying to process what had just happened. Both crawled gingerly over to the young woman and crouched over her figure. She looked for all the world like she was resting peacefully, her breathing was even and deep. But before they had time to process anything, they were jerked back as Kagome gasped loudly drawing in a deep breath and sat up quickly, successfully scaring the wits out of her family. Yet again.

Souta licked his dry lips as he found the courage to speak, "K..Kagome? What was..."

"The Jewel?!"

Misuki, who now stood next to her daughter had reached out to comfort her. "What was that dear?"

Kagomes wide eyes, now thankfully back to their normal blue color, turned to them, "THE JEWEL?!"

"What about it?"

"Somethings wrong with it. I can feel it again, but this time it feels like its not whole," her eyes widened further, "Just like when it shattered that time..." she whispered out. Before anyone could ask anything further, she scrambled up and raced for the door, only pausing to slip on her shoes before tearing out into the night.

"Young lady where are you going? You should be checked out! There could be something really wrong!"

"I have to see for myself! I have to check on the jewel Momma!"

Souta and her mother watched as she wrenched open the well house doors and wasted no time jumping into the deep well. The magic swirled into a blue cyclone and rose up to meet her body as it hurled her towards the past. Something was very wrong, and she needed to find out what it was. She just hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.

As soon as her feet hit the ground she launched herself out of the depths of the well faster then she had ever done before and sprinted back to the village intent on finding Inuyasha. But before she could even get half way there she was ambushed by a harried group all shouting her name. Sango, Miroku, Inuaysha and Shippo all bounded up to her and not giving them a chance to speak she blurted out, "Somethings wrong with the jewel, isn't it?"

They all nodded, Sango, having caught her breath, started talking over the others. Shippo launched himself into her arms and clung to her neck desperately and she was taken aback she she felt him shaking slightly before she wrapped her arms around him and looked to Sango.

"I was in the Slayers village doing maintenance on my weapon when I heard a humming sound coming from the caves direction. I was just about to go investigate when a shock wave blew me back and an explosion of light surrounded the sky. An orb of purple rose into the sky and I knew then that it was the jewel."

Kagome gasped, "It shattered again didn't it?"

Sango nodded in affirmation.

"But I don't understand..." Kagome murmured. The jewel was dormant, not to mention behind Midoriko's protective barrier, how could this have happened?"

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed, his arms folded into the sleeves of his haori, "We don't know wench, but we do know that whoever shattered the jewel this time is more powerful then Naraku could've ever dreamed to be if they managed to get behind such a powerful barrier."

Miroku, who had been quiet until now, inserted calmly, "Seems as though our journey is far from over my friends, for we face an evil even more sinister then the one before," his voice was miles away as he gazed into the sky. Kagome felt a shiver run through her body at the eerie wind that followed his words, knowing that he was right.

...

BAM! and there you have it. chapter two avec moi will be posted soon, but please don't forget to submit feedback, or else we don't know what you're thinking! ta ta!


	2. Destiny's Shard

Hey guys! rain0205 here, this is my installment of this awesome crossover that is just simply going to be awesome.. AWESOME! hope you enjoy, more to come and feel free to leave some feedback :D

...

On a bright night, not a cloud dwells in the sky. The moon is full and shining, the cool air still and calm. Most were asleep at this hour, but some were still wide awake. A light sigh is let go, as his green orbs capture the moon. He hears a howl in the distance and smiles slightly. She's isn't too much farther, on her way home now. He sticks his hands behind his head, in way of a make shift pillow while he waits on the floor of her garden.

It felt good, to finally be free of enemies. To finally just live as he intended to, with his mate. Hiroki was dead, which meant that the stupid prophecy would stop dictating all of their lives. It felt like an eternity would go by long before they could finally be at this moment. Two months of freedom, still felt too good to be true. But if he read the prophecy right, he knew that they weren't done just yet.

Kurama looked towards his mate, her shadow visible on his body. He felt light headed at the sight of her, radiant as always in the moonlight. She smiled as she joined him on the ground, not a care in the world. San was always indifferent to life as a human, her wolfish traits shining beyond that of any star in the current sky. It was something he wouldn't trade for the world. She was worth everything he endured, and now they could finally live as they wanted.

"How was your hunt?" he asked in a low voice.

"Uneventful. But at least things are quiet," she replied.

"Agreed."

Genkai's temple was always quiet these days. No one wanted to come to the place where the Reikai Tantei lived, ready to fend off any intruder. If there was anything or anyone, besides Takashi, that had the power to defeat them, Kurama wondered the possibilities. Could such a being exist? He'd rather not think about that right now, there was no need.

"When do you think Keiko will be back?"

"It's hard to say. Growing into that kind of unnatural demon power isn't easy to cope with. I'm thinking she'll be gone for quite a few days."

"It's already been a couple of months, koi."

"Has it? I've hardly noticed."

Kurama smiled, "You've been out every night since. I'll have to return to regular human hours soon."

"You'd think you'd get bored of human life by now."

"At times. Perhaps you can join me one day."

"Don't be silly," she sniffed.

They spoke well into the early morning, sleep never wishing to claim them. As far as Kurama was concerned, time meant nothing when he was with San anyway. San of course, had no concept of time being a wolf. It was good to be back to normal. San closed her eyes for a moment, the sound of the human heart beat causing her to drift away.

In the distance of the darkness, a faint purple hue caught her attention. Her mate's voice is distant, and slowly fading as the object gets closer to her. She sees it then, a small jewel glowing purple in the complete darkness. But there is a shadow upon it, purest of darkness that grasps this strange glowing gem. The purple hue struggles to find the light, but fails. It brakes into many pieces, causing San to shoot her eyes open. Her mate was still speaking as if nothing had happened, San frowning at what she just saw. Perhaps it was nothing, but somehow she knew it that wasn't true.

…

Genkai sipped at her tea quietly, while San, Kurama and Yukina sat around the table eating breakfast. It was only the four of them left in the temple, and had been like that for days. Usually it was full of people or demons, or even Reikai agents. But with the world at a steady peace, there was no reason for anyone besides the temple residents – and Kurama – to be there. Sometimes Kuwabara would come visit, but he was busy with his aunt, learning the tricks of the trade.

If there was anything San hated, it was seers. Her own tiny seer powers were a constant frustration to her. But Kuwabara with full seer powers was going to make her want to kill him. He was hardly an adept, but usually he was too thick headed to learn all that well anyway. Yukina was suspiciously quiet without him, which made San smirk.

Oddly on cue, Kuwabara opened the doors to temple, elephant stomping his way over.

"Hey guys," he spoke with a toothy grin, looking only at Yukina.

Genkai glared at the oaf while Kurama openly smiled. San's tawny eyes narrowed slightly, wondering what he was doing here to early. Kyrokai knew the wolf, knew that she would suspect something. Perhaps it was time to be on guard, no more of this peaceful fantasy that she was foolish enough to endure. She knew that she should be waiting for the third task, should be combing over the prophecy to try and time it, and be prepared.

But the timing didn't feel right. Takashi wasn't lurking around, and San didn't believe in coincidences. Being on guard was all she could do until she knew why Kuwabara was here.

"Kuwabara, back so soon?" Genkai's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Oh yeah, Kyrokai says I'm ready."

"Ready for what? A beating?" a new voice asked after laughing.

"Shut up Urameshi!"

"Yusuke to?" questioned San. She turned to see her brother standing in the entrance way, and smiled. It had been a while since he had come around. The last time she saw him, he feared for Keiko's life, "Where's Keiko?"

"I left her with Jin, he said he'd send her here later on."

"Jin must be getting a run for his money," said Kurama.

"If Keiko's at her full bitch level," droned San.

"She's getting better..." trailed Yusuke.

San smiled sadly, "With a little control I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Have you seen Hiei in Makai?" asked Kurama.

"No. Little punk's been hiding lately," replied Yusuke.

"You know it's unhealthy to talk like that," San smirked.

"Dimwit. Your services are needed in my kitchen. Yukina will be otherwise occupied," Genkai spoke, standing up and walking away with the ice maiden.

Yusuke opened his mouth to retort, but Genkai turned around and glared. San tried hard to not even smile at that. Yusuke grumbled, San picking up words like "old bat" and "sour bitch".

"What's that all about anyway?" asked Yuskue, plopping down in Yukina's vacated spot and pointing towards where the two women had left.

"Yukina has been learning to control her power in combat for the sake of self defense. Genkai feels like she is coming closer and closer to the end with each passing day. She wants Yukina to help defend the temple in case she dies before the end of the prophecy," replied San.

"She's got a long way to go before death," Kurama stated simply.

"I thought we were done with the prophecy!" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"What is Kyrokai teaching you? You should know this already!" said Yusuke.

"You're sure the prophecy isn't over?" Kurama looked at his mate.

"Positive," said San. Kurama expected her to go on, but she offered no explanation. The change in his eyes was so slight, no one would have seen the flickering moment. No one, except his mate.

"Hn. Why can't any of you end things once and for all?" asked Hiei, though it wasn't a question.

"Most of our enemies are dead, Hiei, its the new ones that decide to stop hiding we have a problem with."

"You've returned," said Kurama.

"Where have you been?" asked Yusuke.

"Hn."

"Uhh guys..." trailed Kuwabara.

"You don't have to be an ass," said Yusuke.

"I don't see that my whereabouts are any of your business," Hiei's eyes narrowed hatefully.

"You just disappear for months without saying a word and pop in like its nothing!"

"Guys?" Kuwabara tried again.

"I do as I please!" Hiei's voice raised an octave.

"That was fine when you weren't part of a team!" yelled Yusuke.

"Now you sound like that stupid oaf!"

"HEY!" screamed the oaf, gaining everyone's attention.

"What is it Kuwabara?" asked Kurama, but just as soon as the words left his mouth a blast hit the temple, causing the walls to shatter.

The five of them were completely on guard, shielding themselves from the smoke and going straight to the source. Genkai and Yukina were seen in the background, but San's eyes were ablaze that an attacker dare come to the temple, damaging it. The smoke cleared, Yusuke going into shock. Standing before them was the demon they recognized all too well.

"Keiko!" screamed Yusuke.

Well this was an awkward situation. Keiko stood tall in front of them, fully in demon form. Long chestnut hair, evil red eyes, the power of wind at her complete disposal. She had just undergone training with the wind master after all. She grinned at them, rising into the air slightly and sending a gust of powerful wind, blowing them off their feet.

San, Hiei and Kurama were up in an instant, Genkai and Yukina still unnoticed. San was going to keep it that way, getting ready for an attack. Kurama pulled out his rose whip, while San summoned her mouri koba. Hiei's sword stayed sheathed, knowing that it would only succeed in hurting the girl. Yusuke was still in awe, unable to raise a hand in any way, while Kuwabara was shaking in anxiety.

Keiko was about to make her move, but the three demons before her were much more powerful, more experienced, and much faster.

"Why is she doing this?" asked Yusuke.

"There is a great power emanating from her. One foreign to this land," said Genkai, narrowing her eyes.

Keiko attacked, using her right arm to summon a devastating tornado. It was headed for Yusuke and Kuwabara. Yusuke stood his ground while Kuwabara looked at his friend nervously. Yusuke set his jaw and moved out of the way, taking the seer with him. Keiko, again with her right arm was able to intersect them, laying a powerful blow to the former detective. It was then San saw what Genkai was talking about. A familiar purple hue.

"Kurama, grab her right arm," but San didn't even need to instruct, her mate already saw it himself.

Hiei had beaten the fox to the punch, literally knocking the girl out. Kurama used his rose whip to keep her on the ground, despite her being unconscious. San then walked up to the half demon, moving the whip so she could see Keiko's arm. The purple hue she had seen the previous morning, she knew it couldn't have been nothing. Kurama dug out the object, revealing in his hand a tiny purple shard. He encased it in a reiki barrier, containing the power that wanted to embed itself into him.

"What is that?" asked Yusuke, his voice hard.

"It looks like a piece of glass," said Kuwabara.

"Whatever it is, contains massive power. It caused Keiko to attack us," said Genkai, " An evil power."

"Hn. More of your prophecy?" asked Hiei, though it didn't sound much like a question.

"No," said San.

"What is it, San?" asked Kurama. He wasn't going to let her keep anything from him this time.

San couldn't believe her eyes. It was legendary, she never thought it actually existed. But how did it get here? This was definitely not a good sign. She frowned, wondering what this could all mean. Why did Keiko react the way she did? More questions that she'd never get answered. So much for peace.

"That there, it's a piece of the shikon jewel."

...

so for anyone thats confused about this, go to my profile page and read through "Eternity" and what i have so far of "the key" and most of this will fall into place. THANK SO MUCH!


	3. Something Wicked this way Comes

Hey guys, rain here. Another chapter from NIchiki has arrived! Hope y'all love it

...

After much discussion and shouting, mainly on Inuyasha and Kagome's part, Kaede managed to convince them that in order to fully know what they were dealing with, they would need more information.

"The fact of the matter is we don't have all the details we need," Miroku's calm voice of reason piped up, "Therefore, we need to investigate before we can effectively think of a plan of attack or defense, should we need it."

"Oh, we'll definitely need some sort of defense in place if they managed to get behind such a powerful barrier," Sango remarked as she sat in the corner and polished her weapon. All eyes turned towards the slayer waiting for her to elaborate.

She sighed as she rested against the bone boomerang, "That barrier was in place for centuries and nothing could pass through if even the slightest bit of darkness lurked within their hearts, or if they had evil intentions. They would've been instantly purified or thrown from the cave as Inuyasha can attest to," Her gaze swung over her companions meaningfully.

"I take it ye have witnessed such things first hand?" Kaede inquired softly, her eye pinned the slayer with a shrewd gaze.

"Yes. There were more then a few times where demons attempted to breach the barrier, but all were purified into dust, " Her brow scrunched as she went on, "What I don't get is how whatever it was that woke up and shattered the jewel, managed to gain entry in the first place. The spirit of Midoriko still resides within that cave and it's considered holy ground, so anything tainted would've been in extreme pain setting even one foot there."

"And the fact that no one else knew of the location of the jewel in its dormant state is also very suspicious," Miroku interjected, his eyes staring out into the distance before settling on each one inside the Hut, "No one outside of us, save for Sesshomaru, knew of the resting place. So unless they learned of the cave from spying or someone managed to pry the information out of one of us, I don't see how they would've known of the cave."

"Add that to the fact that it was certainly no coincidence they happened upon that cave," Sango added, "Aside from Kagome, there isn't any known powerful mikos out there that could've sensed the jewel behind the barrier. And as far as we know since the jewel was born inside her, she's the only one who can sense its presence, even while in its dormant state. Not to mention the origins of the jewel aren't well known, so no one should even be aware of that cave. Our village made sure the cave stayed a closely guarded secret from anyone that wasn't a member of the slayers village."

"Keh, we keep going round in circles, " Inuyasha grunted, "What no one is saying yet is just how it was discovered or who spilled the beans," His golden gaze swept over all of them, studying their expressions. "It sure as hell wasn't me. And unless I am completely off my gourd, no one in this group would even think of betraying such important information. Not after all the shit we've been through to put the damn thing back together." He groused, setting back against the wall.

Silence ensued as each went over in their minds just what all this could possibly mean.

"Kagome?" Shippo whispered drawing her attention to the kit sitting comfortably in her lap.

"Yeah, Shippo?"

"What about Myoga?"

"What about him runt?" Inuyasha snorted.

"Well," his little nose scrunched in thought, "He was around when the jewel was completed and put behind the barrier."

"Yeah, so?"

Shippo sighed, "Think about it Inu-baka," Inuyasha snarled, ready to bop the little shit, but quickly quieted down to growls at Kagome's pointed glare.

"Go on, Shippo." Kagome insisted.

His little claws traces patterns on her legs and tilted his head as he tried to put his thoughts into words, "Well, remember when we first learned about the jewels origins?"

Everyone nodded.

"Don't you remember when he dragged Kagome's half of the jewel into the cave along with Kilala that one night?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched in response, "Yeah. The dumbass thought it would be smart to bring the jewel where the demons were petrified," he buried his arms deep within the sleeves of his haori and scowled.

"Indeed," Miroku replied, "The jewel, though only a fraction of what it was, still managed to revive the demons spirit and I shudder to think of what might have happened had Inuyasha and myself not intervened."

"Yeah," Shippo chirped, happy they were finally catching on, "Anyways, I thought that maybe his curiosity of the jewel coulda caught up to him again and maybe he found a way to drop the barrier."

All eyes turned to the ceiling in thought.

"Well, it's certainly a possibility," Miroku murmured.

"We can't discount anything at this point. But, the fact still remains that we need to go investigate what is left of the cave," Kagome pointed out.

"We'll leave in the mornin'," Inuyasha grunted out, "So everyone get some rest cause we are heading out at first light!" He stood and made his way out of the hut intent on patrolling the area. There would be no rest for him this night that's for sure. His hackles were still raised at the electric energy that seemed to hang in the air and it almost seemed hard to even breath, let alone relax.

The occupants of the small hut settled down and tried to sleep, but that niggling feeling of worry still lingered within each of their minds. What did all this mean? Why was this happening now, after three years? And just how the hell were they supposed to battle an unknown enemy. Seemed things were changing, and not for the better.

* * *

True to his word, at first light the group moved, albeit sluggishly at furst due to no rest, towards the old slayers village. It was a bittersweet situation to Sango, going back to her childhood home, but also knowing there was nothing there for her anymore. Nothing but the graves of everyone she had known and loved were the only things occupying the village. She doubted anything but the ghosts of the former occupants would ever live in that village again. There was just too much pain for her to even think of restarting it. So, she had just decided to stay in Kaede's instead and let the memories and ghosts keep the village for themselves.

She was brought out of her thoughts as Kagome shouted up to her and Miroku as they flew on Kilala's back. The firecat moved down lower so they could converse as Kagome clung to Inuyasha's back.

"Did you go see if the cave was still intact before you left Sango?" Kagome asked.

Sango nodded, "Yes, I did, but only for a second. I thought it was more important to inform everyone what had happened. The entrance was blocked and it was clear to me that it was intentional, perhaps to slow down whoever would go inside to investigate."

"One things clear. Whoever is behind this knows what they are doing," Miroku stated, looking out into the distance.

"Keh, doesnt matter who it is," Inuyasha grunted as he sped up, "We'll beat them just as bad as we did Naraku."

Silence followed as everyone wondered what they would find or perhaps just who they would find as they got nearer to their destination.

Even with a slow start they'd managed to make it to the slayers village just as the sun started to set. While everyone took a minute to stretch their legs, Inuyasha scouted the area making sure there weren't any more surprises to deal with. After they rested for a few minutes they made their way to the cave, each thinking of countless bad scenarios they might meet. Finally, the cave came into view and the group tentatively approached, not trusting something wouldn't pop out of the wreckage, it certainly had happened before.

Inuyasha lifted his nose to the air and took deep breaths, his ears rotating like mini radars as they swiveled atop his head, searching for present threats.

"Whoever was here sure ain't here now."

"Inuyasha, do you recognize any of the scents in the area?" Miroku asked, his hand on his chin as he surveyed the damage to the caves opening.

Golden eyes narrowed slightly as he inhaled again, this time sifting through the scents carefully, "No. There's barely anything to pick up out here," His eyes swung to the rubble blocking their way.

"So, in order for you to get a really good sniff we would need to venture inside," Miroku muttered.

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded as he rolled up his sleeves and stepped up to the mess. The other three followed his lead and while they left the heaviest to Inuyasha, they still did their best to get some of the smaller stones out of the way.

It took nearly half the night as the group dug out massive boulders and managed to uncover at least a workable entrance to the cave and by then everyone was exhausted. But as tired as they were, they weren't about to just give up and not venture into the cave, there were more things on the line then getting some much needed rest. Besides, they knew sleep wouldn't come to them even if they tried. They needed answers first and yet somehow they knew they would find only more questions, and hardly any answers.

The group made their way inside carefully thanks to the flashlights provided by Kagome. Who knew what kind of evil lurked within the dark, but they did know that whatever it was, they would have to be able to see it in order to fight it. Inuyasha led the way with Kagome close behind, followed by Miroku and Sango bringing up the rear. Shippo, who had been curled around Kagome's shoulders started shaking the moment they entered and the fur along his tail stood straight out. Kagome absently stroked along his fluffy tail offering him silent comfort as her thoughts remained centered upon what they would find. She suddenly stalled halfway into the tunnel causing Miroku and Sango to pause.

"Kagome? Are you sensing something?" Miroku inquired as Sango came up beside him to watch her friend. Inuyasha paused as well and turned to regard the miko with a raised brow.

"This is the spot where the barrier was," Kagome whispered, but her voice still echoed within the tight space.

"How do you know this was where it was, Kagome?" Sango asked, her eyes searching the walls as if looking for evidence.

Kagome's brows scrunched as she searched for how to put her thoughts to words, "I don't really know. It's just like a feeling deep down in my gut that this was the exact spot, "She tried to explain.

"So, it's true then," Miroku murmured, his hand reaching out to stroke the smooth walls.

"Someone did manage to not only get through the barrier, but also completely destroy it as well."

"This doesn't bode well," Sango replied, her hands clenched on her weapon as she tuned her senses to possible incoming threats, Kilala perched on her shoulder at the ready.

"Lets keep moving," Inuyasha grunted as he started forward again, his ears moving rapidly drawing the groups attention.

"Inu?" Kagome whispered, but she knew he heard her when an ear cocked in her direction.

"What wench?" His gruff answer pierced the darkness and put her more on edge. There was obviously something he wasn't saying.

"What are you sensing, Inu?" Kagome asked softly, her hand reaching out to grab onto the back of his haori for reassurance and to keep him from getting away.

His eyes narrowed as his ears kept moving and they all thought he wouldn't answer her for a minute, until he sighed.

"I don't know wench. It's nothing like I've ever felt before, and I've felt and seen some freaky shit in my lifetime."

Everyone attention was riveted upon the hanyou, until they finally saw the opening to the cavern ahead.

Astonishment would be a good word for the mutual feeling that rose up to overtake the group and no one seemed to be able to form words. The cavern itself was intact, which in and of itself was amazing, but what really took the group by surprise was the huge stalagmite that had been in the middle of the room. The rock contained that had contained the frozen image of the legendary miko Midoriko clutched within a huge demons jaw. The image was froze into stone the moment she forced her soul out of her body, along with the soul of the demon she was battling. Kagome gasped and the others couldn't seem to comprehend what they were seeing. The image was no more. Nothing but rubble scattered around the room as far as the eye could see. It was almost as if the stone had exploded from the inside out and that struck the group as very odd.

Kagome approached the rubble cautiously as did Sango and the boys spread out around the room poking through the debris, perhaps hoping to find a clue as to what happened.

"I can't believe this," Sango whispered, "How...why would someone do this? Why didn't they just take the jewel and leave? Why did they have to destroy the stalagmite as well?"

"It's a message, Sango," Kagome spat out, her temper growing with every piece of broken stone that filled her view.

"What do you mean, Kagome?" Sango asked, as she turned towards her sister. They may not have been blood sisters, but they'd developed a strong bond from all of the hardships they'd been through over the years.

"I think what she means, dear Sango, is that just taking the jewel wasn't enough," Miroku said as he approached the two women, studying the area. "Whoever did this, destroyed the stalagmite to send a message to the keeper of the jewel that they have the jewel and they are confident no one can take it back from them. Sort of like a challenge, if you will."

"Why you always gotta spout more then you need to, Miroku?" Inuyasha snorted. "This is sort of like flipping the bird, as you say in your time, Kagome."

Kagome nodded, but Sango and Miroku seemed lost, as did Kilala and Shippo.

Shaking her head Kagome tried to put it into words they would understand.

"It's a very rude gesture to someone you strongly dislike."

They all nodded as their attention went back to the rubble. Shippo, feeling more brave now that they hadn't found anything, jumped to the ground and started shifting boulders out of the way. There was something under there that drew his attention the moment they'd stepped into the cavern and he needed to find out what it was.

"Shippo? What are you doing? " Kagome asked, confused as to why he was so focused upon that one spot.

Inuyasha strolled over and as if a light clicked on inside his head, he joined in the search with Shippo, frantically shoving rocks around.

Alarmed, the rest of the group gathered around the two demons and watched their movements and the pile steadily growing smaller by the second.

It wasn't five minutes later that they stopped and both looked up at each other with widened eyes before looking down again. Inuyasha growled low in his chest and Kagome swallowed hard, knowing that he must have found something he really didn't like.

"Inu? What is it? What did you find?" She softly whispered, approaching the two slowly, almost afraid to talk any louder.

His golden gaze shifted to her as he bent down and lifted something in his hand and the group gathered around his closed fist in anticipation.

"Something I never thought we would see again wench," Inuyasha growled out as his hand opened revealing something they hadn't seen for years and never thought they would again.

There in his clawed hand was a saimyosho, a hell bug, famous for hanging around Naraku and his incarnations. Sango gasped and Miroku's face seemed to fade to a sickly pale color as they tried to figure out what this could possibly mean.

"Inu, d..does this mean what I think it does?" Kagome whimpered out, her eyes so wide the whites were clearly shown even in the dim light.

"If your thinkin what I'm thinkin, that the bastard somehow managed to come back, then yes it does," Inuyasha body shook as his rage skyrocketed.

"B..But it might not be him...it could be one just managed to get..."

"Its got his scent all over it, Kagome," He paused for emphasis as his eyes locked with hers. "There's no way his scent would've survived these three years...absolutely no fuckin way. But that's not all either," He paused and waited till he had their complete attention, "There was more then just Naraku here, thats for sure."

"Do you recognize any of the scents Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

Golden eyes stared down at the insect in his hand for a moment in thought.

"No. Whoever was here is someone we haven't met before, but if they managed to shatter he barrier then they are powerful, maybe even more so then Naraku ever could be," He snapped his gaze up to the rest of the group, "But what's really buggin me is that I can't sense their power, at all."

Absolute silence overcame the group, aside from the steady growl coming from the hanyou, as none seemed to know just what to say to that. Things were growing more and more complicated by the second.

"May I, Inuyasha?" Miroku extended his hand, nodding at the insect.

"Keh, knock yourself out house," He grunted, handing it over.

Miroku's brow furrowed as he studied the insect carefully, turning it over in his palm as the others conversed around him softly. His heart nearly stopped when the insect twitched. Thinking his frazzled mind was playing tricks on him he brought it closer to his face and froze as the insect seemed to stir out of a deep slumber and before he could even react or tell the others, it struck.

"AHHH!?" Miroku backed away clutching at his right hand, howling in pain.

"What the hell?!"

"Miroku, whats wrong!?"

Not being able to answer he continued backing away as the pain increased. It felt like his hand was being split in two and he feared what this meant. All of a sudden winds, that seemed to come from nowhere, whipped through the cave and whirled around the group.

Inuyasha made a grab for the monk, but stumbled as he noticed the breeze was coming from his right hand.

"GODDAMMIT! " He roared, not knowing what the hell to do.

"My beads, Inuyasha!" Miroku managed to grit out.

"What?" Inuyasha shouted.

Kagome gasped as she and Sango both realized what was happening.

"His prayer beads, Inuyasha! The ones that sealed off the wind tunnel!" Kagome shouted over the growing winds as both she and Sango grasped onto Miroku trying to get him to stay still.

"Where are they monk?!" Inuyasha snarled out.

"R...Robes..." Miroku managed to gasp before passing out from the pain and slumping into the women's grasp. Wasting no time, Inuyasha thrust his hand into the monks robes searching for the beads.

"Hurry, Inuyasha!" Shippo wailed as he bounced from foot to foot, not knowing what to do.

"Can it runt!" Inuyasha withdrew from his robes and made a grab for the monks right hand, wrapping the beads tightly around the palm and successfully sealing off the roaring winds. Nothing moved for a good 5 minutes as the dust settled and the group took in the situation. Sango sat the monk down and sunk to her knees beside him, exhaustion finally catching up to her.

"The fuckin bastard!" Inuyasha snarled, "He laid a fuckin trap, just like the last time!"

"I don't believe it," Sango whispered, her head buried within her hands. "He was gone, we were sure of it. How did he come back...how...HOW?!" She screamed to the heavens, the reverberating echo bounced off the walls and Inuyasha flattened his ears from the volume.

Kagome crouched down beside the slayer and pulled her into an embrace as she sobbed her grief out. She sifted her fingers through Sangos hair as she tried to sooth the distraught young woman, her eyes searched and locked with uneasy golden ones. What could they say to her when they were so confused themselves.

"I don't know, Sango," Inuaysha said breaking the silence and waited until her watery gaze lifted to him. "But I promise you, we will find out and put that bastard where he belongs. Back in the deepest part of hell where he will never see the light of day ever again."

Kagome nodded, agreeing with that statement, but stopped and narrowed her eyes as she seemed to spot something.

"Inuyasha, whats that?"

"Whats what, wench?" His eyes searching the room.

Kagome's eyes narrowed as she studied him, "I...It looks like a leech."

"Where?" He asked, still looking about the room.

"Its on your arm, Inuyasha."

He lifted his arm up slightly and spotted the small pest. He made a grab for it and grunted when he had to use substantial strength to pry the little sucker off. "What is that, Inuyasha," Sango asked, as she calmed down. Both girls approached the hanyou intent to get a good look, but stopped when he grunted again, clearly surprised before flinging it onto the ground with considerable force.

"Inu, why..." Kagome started.

"The little fucker tried to latch on my hand!" He snarled out as he stepped forward to smash it to a pile of goop.

Sango and Kagome moved fast to stop him.

"Inuyasha no!" Sango cried out.

"We need to find out what it is first," Kagome interjected as she tried to get him to calm down. "It might have something to do with what happened here."

The hanyou growled and snorted as he managed to get his temper under control.

"If we can learn anything from the nasty thing, then that's more important, because we don't have anything else to go on right now," Sango stated, staring down at the slowly moving mass.

"It's certainly more then we have, and we need every little hint we can get," Kagome whispered.

* * *

Miles away a stoic Inu Lord stood atop a grassy hill as he watched over a small girl, currently on a mission to gather as many flowers as her little arms could carry. His nose quivered as several vile scents assaulted his senses and he had to bite back a growl as his eyes flashed from red to gold multiple times. A very familiar scent was mixed within and he knew something had happened. His eyes narrowed as he turned towards the direction of Inuyasha's forest and felt as the child approached and stood by his side.

"My Lord?" She whispered, having seen his internal struggle by the flashing of his eyes and heard his growls.

"Stay close, Rin. Something has happened, and there are foul scents drifting on the wind."

"Do you know what it is my Lord?"

"There's only one thing that could smell like this... Naraku."

The name sent shivers through the child and seemed to make the very air still in fright.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the horizon. "Something wicked this way comes."

...

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	4. The Other Golden Gaze

She inhales deeply, the smell of Makai not nearly as strong here. Her need to travel had taken her into new territory, but it was exactly where she needed to be. She let go of a small, contented sigh, continuing on her journey at stately pace. She wasn't in any hurry, feeling relaxed in the forest not unlike the one she chose to dwell in. It was almost as if the forest was welcoming her upon arrival.

Her senses catch the scent of humans, but that is normal. Many humans migrated here, the woes of Ningenkai to much for them to handle. She saw smoke coming from the many villages, the forest ending at the cliff. The sight was magnificent, unlike anything she had ever seen before in Makai. This was definitely the place she needed to be. Almost like she had seen it before in a dream. At that moment, she knew that she probably had. There was a reason she was drawn here, and she needed to find out why.

She jumped down from the cliff into more forest. Instantly her spine tingled, this was not the same forest as above. Something was here, some sort of being that had power beyond her understanding. Carefully, she took her steps forward, knowing that the only way out would be stealth. But she was still a young wolf, and in a completely new territory. She didn't notice the traps laid out for intruders. Her tawny eyes scanned what appeared to be the safest passage, but she triggered a trip wire. She cursed as she was imprisoned in a black cage. Stupid.

She carefully tested it, feeling forces she's never felt before within its walls, keeping her trapped there. Her tawny eyes were defiant as her ear twitched at her captor. Whoever this demon was, she was going to kill it. How DARE they think it was okay to catch her. She growled lowly as the shadowed figure appeared before her. Her arms were crossed, she did not back down her gaze. He took one step closer, but his face was still hidden by the tree cover.

"Release me now, and I may even kill you quickly," Moriko spat at the demon.

One more step, and he was finally visible. Moriko's breath caught in her throat, but her eyes were still hard. There before her stood a tall demon, long white hair catching in the midnight wind, and a curious, but very serious golden gaze meeting her. The markings on his face told her that he was very important indeed.

"You are lucky yourself to be alive at this moment," he spoke in a calm voice.

Moriko felt light headed at the sound. Her mouth went dry, but she dared not show it to this demon. What was happening to her? A slight movement, and he was in front of her, inches from her face. She drew in a small gasp, her tawny eyes now showing exactly how surprised and slightly worried she was. And then her world went black, that calm golden gaze the last thing she remembered seeing.

...

San opened up her eyes slowly, her mind dazed at the memory. Ever since that piece of the shikon jewel showed up, all she could think about was how she had gotten to know of its existence. Even now, the demon made her feel light headed, the feelings never actually leaving her despite everything that happened. Her stomach flipped when she felt movement beside her. She released a small sigh of relief, hoping her mate wouldn't catch it.

"Did I startle you?" he almost sounded amused.

She turned to face him, a smirk on her face, "Never," she whispered into his human ear.

She saw slight gold swirling in the pools of emerald green. He kissed her then, and all her previous thoughts left her mind. This was her mate, and no matter what, she knew that this was her destiny. And then the other golden gaze entered her mind. She pulled back from her mate, keeping her eyes closed but staying close to him. She stuck her head under his chin so that he wouldn't see her frown.

"San?" he inquired in his calm voice. His breath was hot on he forehead, and she smiled, gaining that warm feeling he always brought to her.

"Your breath stinks," she informed him with a grin.

He chuckled softly, "No better than yours I imagine."

"Don't be silly, Kurama, you're right here, there's no need to imagine."

"Rrrrriiiissseeee and shiiiii- Oh god!" screamed Kuwabars, bursting in the door and shielding his eyes almost immediately. Kurama pulled San closer to him, while she made damn well sure her blanket was under her chin, "Have you guys no shame?" the orange haired boy cried.

"No shame? This is my room! What the fuck is wrong with you?" exclaimed San while Kurama chuckled under his breath.

"Normal people sleep with clothes!"

"Seriously Kuwabara? I'm not fucking human for one, and for two, this is happening way too often. It's almost as if you're trying to catch me naked or in the middle of sex."

He turned slightly pink, making strangling noises. Kurama's laughs were now audible.

"I'll give you some credit though, you came to the longest lasting relationship known to all three world's to try and figure out love, but you could just ask, I don't mind sharing, ask Yukina."

He was as red as a tomato, on the verge of screaming. Kurama was openly laughing, which only making it worse for the young seer.

"You must be a devoted pupil if you're still waiting for instruction. Let me get started."

The door slammed instantly, Kuwabara gone before San could blink. Only the sound on her mates laugh filled her room. Her grin never left her face, as she turned back towards her mate, "I wasn't kidding, let's get started," she said almost out of breath, capturing his lips.

...

"How is she?" asked San, walking into Keiko and Yusuke's unofficial room in the temple.

Yusuke shrugged, his eyes glued to her. San kneeled down beside the half demons, placing a hand on Keiko's forehead. The wolf's tawny eyes went vacant, but Yusuke didn't really care to notice. San didn't reach into Keiko's mind very deeply, not sensing the girl's conscious mind very far. The half demon's mind was similar to her own mate's. The sense of human and demon sharing one entity was hard, but Keiko was improving nicely. Thankfully, the jewel hadn't affected any of the healing and training that they had put months into. Unfortunately, there was no memory of how the jewel shard had gotten to the girl in the first place, which is what San was really looking for.

"You said you knew what that shard was?" asked Yusuke.

"Yes," replied San simply, keeping her face serious and tawny gaze on Keiko.

"What exactly is it?"

"A legend, as far as I knew, the thing never existed," said Kurama, standing in the doorway.

"Can't say that anymore," said San.

"Evidently..." the fox trailed, "Perhaps we should retrace Keiko's steps. Could give us a clue as to where the shard came from."

"Where is it now?" San turned to look at the green orbs of her mate.

"In your room. I placed it into a small glass container."

"It hasn't tried to latch onto you?"

"No."

San nodded, standing up to her full height. She turned to look at the former detective, "Coming?"

Yusuke nodded, standing and turning his back on his mate. San watched him very closely. Yusuke was quite the hot head, there was no telling where his emotions would lead him. Especially when it came to Keiko. San didn't say anything though, she only understood too well what it was like to have your loved ones in danger. They followed Kurama out of the temple, where Kuwabara appeared to be waiting.

"Hiei took off saying he was sick of waiting," said Kuwabara.

"I see you had this planned out since last night," San noted to her mate.

"This morning. Last night I kept recalling everything I had ever heard about the shikon jewel."

"What do you know about it?" asked Yusuke.

"Never mind that now. Let's focus on this and then perhaps I'll tell you a bedtime story," San smiled.

She changed into her wolf form before Yusuke could retort. She raised her muzzle to the air, taking in a few whiffs. She could smell Hiei's fresh scent mingled with Keiko's, could smell that Kuwabara had worked out today and not showered, could smell that Yusuke didn't believe in bathing either, and then the sweet rosy scent of her mate. Following Keiko's scent that she was not locked onto, she led the three boys into the forest.

After some light trotting, she decided to leave them in her dust. They were a little slow, but her mate would be able to find her no matter where she went. She could smell Hiei on the same path as Keiko's scent, and she took that to be a good sign. She wondered where the fire demon was, how far he had gone. His speed was the only one that greater than hers, and who knows when he had left to follow the half demon. Where could a piece of the shikon jewel could have come from? Why was it in pieces? She had only seen it once, glowing purple and completely whole...

...

The light shines behind her lidded eyes. Her head feels hazy, and she knows that is from whatever had killed her consciousness. She dares not move, trying to gauge the situation she was in. Her ankles and wrists were bounded, that much she could feel. Her ears could hear rustling and the crack of a fire. Her nose could catch a sweet scent in the air, and it made her heart begin to race. She tried her best to keep her breaths steady, but knowing that the demon who captured her was so close made that increasingly difficult.

"I see you're awake," his voice sounded soothing, and it made her stomach do a flip.

Giving up all her previous pretense, she opened her tawny eyes. His golden gaze met them instantly, and she scowled at him.

"Why have you captured me?" she asked in a loathing voice.

"You're an intruder," he answered simply.

"You don't seem to be the type that keeps intruders."

"You're correct."

"Which can only make me wonder why you have captured me?"

"Has anyone every told you that for a wolf, you're too curious?"

"That is of no matter. You have failed to answer my question. Twice."

He turned his attention back to preparing the meal in front of him, "You're also quite impatient. Very peculiar behaviour in a wolf."

Moriko growled, narrowing her eyes. He was ignoring her, however, and it only made her more angry. She was never one to accept the failings in herself. But, she was also a very young wolf that had much to learn. She studied this demon's face, still ignoring the feelings he made her feel. It was ridiculous, there was no way that he was doing this to her. Must have been whatever it was he used to practically poison her. He finished with his meal, standing up with it in his hands and looking at her once more. Moriko's mind was racing, but she didn't dare let that show in her eyes. His golden gaze was calm, observing. He walked over towards her, sitting down beside her. He offered her the bowl he held. She didn't relent.

"You need your strength," he told her calmly.

"You don't keep intruders," she stated bluntly.

"You're not dead yet."

"And why is that?"

He kept his gaze steady as he the placed her bowl gently in her hands. She drew in a sharp breath as his skin touched hers, an electric feeling at the connection. The shock showed in her eyes as she brought her eyes back to those golden orbs. She could tell he was slightly out of breath, and for some reason that made her feel better.

"I feel it would be wrong to kill you..." he trailed, his eyes narrowing slightly. He brought his hand to hold her chin with his thumb and forefinger. Moriko felt her breath catch in her throat at his touch, "...Purity lies in you. Something that is rare for a demon..." He turned her face this way and that, her tawny eyes glazed over, her head swimming, "...yes. I may very well have use for you. A warrior..." he practically whispered, causing the wolf to let out an involuntary sigh, "How are you called?" his voice normal, but his hand still holding her chin.

The change in his voice snapped her back to reality, and she glared at this demon. She shook her head free of his grasp, "Wolves have no need of names," she growled.

Her captor smiled, "I suppose not."

He got up, walking towards the end of the room. Moriko watched him closely, wondering what he was up to. He came back with a blanket in his arms, his golden gaze never leaving her as he got closer.

"Eat, gain your strength back. Sleep when you're finished, we set out tomorrow," he instructed with his calm voice. He placed the blanket beside her, going back to sit on the other side of the fire.

"Where do you plan to take me?" she asked in a neutral voice.

"I haven't yet decided," he replied with a shrug.

"Will you be sleeping?"

He smirked, locking eyes with her once more, "I think you know the answer to that question."

"You kind of have me tied up."

"But I know you have the power to control plants."

"Yes, you're very intelligent for figuring that out," replied Moriko dryly.

"I'm surprised you've survived this long with that mouth of yours."

"You have no idea."

"That isn't poison you know. It'll clear the toxins in your body and give you a clear mind."

"I'm sure."

"What proof do you need?"

"Your name."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and then his smirk returned, "Sesshoumru."

...

The name echoed in San's mind. It had been centuries since she thought of him, but now he was being thrown right in front of her face. She focused on Hiei and Keiko's scent, both still on the same path. She didn't know how far behind the others were, but she wasn't concerned. She was finally gaining on Hiei. The little shit could run faster than any demon she had ever known in her life. But if he wasn't moving, then she was easily able to catch him. And see why he stopped where he did. She changed into her human form, the other demon acknowledging her arrival.

He stopped because of the resonating power here, in Mushiyori City. The very place that the gate to Makai was. Something, no, someone, at least a couple someones had passed through here. And San could feel the presence of jewel here, parts of it that had made it over to their world. There were quite a few, and they scattered in all directions. San tried to identify the scents in the area. Two of them she didn't know, but the third, she couldn't quite pin point. She frowned, the feeling of these demons making her start to worry.

"You feel it, don't you?" it was not to much of a question as it was more a statement from Hiei.

San nodded, still frowning. Nothing about this sat well with her, and as they waited for the others to show up. Minions were about, and it sprung the two demons into action. There were about six demons in sight, and four more that hadn't made an appearance yet. These were just the brutes, the ones to test their powers. And their power was laughable compared to the fire apparition and the wolf in front of them. It was a joke, the sheer release of the two's power obliterated them before their very eyes. Which was what the demons in the shadows were waiting for.

Kurama's rose whip killed two demons coming for San's back, while Kuwabara's spirit sword chopped one after Hiei, and Yusuke's spirit gun took care of the other. The five of them stood with their backs to each other, waiting, facing every possible direction. The trees rustled in the wind, and then the demon they were waiting for made an appearance.

He wasn't pretty, but not many demons full of hate were. San noted he had two jewel shards embedded in one leg and on arm. So only his right side was to fear. There were a couple more minions lurking in the shadows, but they were of no moment. This was the demon that they came to see.

"Friends of that half breed? I smell her scent all over you," the ogre snarled at them.

His power was pitiful, but demon energy could not be properly measured with the variable of jewel shards involved. The only thing San really knew about ogres, was that their claws were poisonous. She kept her eye on the shards, waiting for this moron to make the first move. But Hiei had already beat him to it, unsheathing his sword and lunging at the beast. The sprung the others into action. As Hiei's sword was dismissed, Kurama's rose whip and Yusuke's spirit gun came from either side. When the idiot decided to jump up, he found San's mouri kouba waiting for him. One thing was true to the rumour, Ogres were not very smart.

But as he swept them all away with his right arm and leg, they realized that he could take a pretty big hit. Probably a side effect of being thick headed. Those jewel shards really made a difference, especially if you knew how to use them. Which San was sure this demon didn't up to their full potential. It was probably the only advantage they really had until they knew more of the jewel. In the meantime, it was best to sever the orgre's limbs so as to get their hands on what they want. But even before they had a chance to really show this moron ogre he didn't stand a chance, Koenma was there, with Botan at his side. The ogre was vanquished and the two shards glowing in Koenma's hand.

"Oh look, the toddler saves the day," grumbled Yusuke.

"You should be more grateful," replied Koenma.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to come," said San.

"You knew he was coming?" asked Kuwabara.

"Didn't you?" San smirked. Ever since he had been revealed as a seer, she always joked about foreseeing the future.

"The other demons have gone," stated Kurama.

"Hn. Pitiful lackies. Probably going to report to their master," said Hiei, sheathing his sword.

"I received a message from Genkai. San identified you have a piece of something called the Shikon Jewel," said Koenma.

"And you hold two more pieces. We were trying to figure out how they got onto Keiko in the first place," said Kurama.

"My father sent me down here to talk to you about it."

"Haven't you found another detective by now?" asked Yusuke.

"With the current truce of Makai and Ningenkai, another Reikai Tantei is ineffective and a waste of our resources."

"Yes, that's completely obvious by the way you keep coming to us with your problems," replied San dryly.

"You're already trained, and involved."

"Hn. Save it fool. I will no longer let Spirit world decide my fate. You lost that ability when the gate was open and you were found out. My world will be fine, I have no allegiance to this one," said Hiei. It looked as if he disappeared from his spot. But the truth was, his speed was great.

"Coward!" yelled Kuwabara.

"Forget it," said San, "He'll be around, he can't ignore this now that he knows it can move freely throughout the world."

"Agreed. It's best we reconvene at the temple and discuss this matter further. We're too exposed here at the tunnel," said Kurama.

San looked at the tunnel her mate was referring to. Makai lied in that cave, she only remembered it too well when she had first set foot there. It was her home, where her adventure had first started. She frowned slightly, a golden colour catching her tawny eyes. And she swore at that moment, she saw that other golden gaze calmly observing her as it used to. Could it be? Was he really here? Were her memories just a premonition?

"San?" the voice of her mate forced her attention away from it. The others had already begun their long walk back towards the temple. San looked again at the cave, but it was black, "Let's go," he told her in a soft voice. She nodded, taking one last look at the cave and then turning her back on it. She couldn't help but feel that his eyes were on her the whole time.

...

sorry for the delay, lets get them pumping back up and in action by a normal time.. remember, if this confuses you, visit my page to read about my oc's and read eternity and the key to be caught up to speed. thanks so much for giving me your time and attention.


	5. Vague Descriptions

Inuyasha gingerly picked up the leech with a sneer and slipped it into a small sack plastered with sutras to prevent it from escaping or being crushed and handed it to Sango for safe keeping.

"Lets go, we can't afford to waste anymore time here." Inuyasha muttered making his way back out of the cave, his hands balled into fists as he tried to control his temper, his ears flicking in multiple directions in agitation.

The group filed out of the cave slowly, each mind on just what they were going to do now filled their minds. Miroku being helped by both girls as they hobbled out of the cave, the ordeal seemed to sap all his strength and left him weaker then he'd ever felt before, probably another side effect courtesy of Naraku. It truly said just how out of it he was when he didn't take the opportunity to feel up the girls rears or make suggestive comments and that was disconcerting to say the least. They'd barely made it halfway to the entrance when a low rumbling started behind them, freezing them in place as they glanced at each other in fear, hoping it wasn't what they thought it was. They all turned towards the sound jumping as the ceiling started to crumble around them and broke into a run as the crashing of rocks tumbling down behind them shook the walls.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha shouted scooping Kagome up into his arms and darted towards the opening, just as Kilala transformed and grabbed both Sango and Miroku using her demon speed to move ahead of the falling rocks.

"Inuyasha, watch out!" Shippo shouted, clutching to Kagome's neck desperately as a huge boulder broke away from the ceiling threatened to crush them.

Inuyasha grunted as he swerved, dodging the rock and burst out of the entrance followed closely by Kilala just as the tunnel collapsed in on itself with a tremendous crash, a huge billow of dust exploded from within. Gasping for air the group turned back when they got a safe distance away to see the mouth of the cave crumble into disarray, leaving no sign there was ever an entrance.

Setting Kagome on her feet Inuyasha inspected her from head to toe ensuring no harm had come to her before turning to make sure everyone was in one piece. They all coughed as the cloud of dust settled and heaved a collective sigh, relieved to be out of danger yet again.

"Why did it just collapse like that?" Sango's brows furrowed as she laid a hand on what used to be the entrance.

Kagome clutched Shippo to her chest, burying her face in his hair as she studied the mess in front of her sadly. "I don't know. I mean it's not like we disturbed anything vital in there."

"Perhaps it was because Midoriko's stalagmite was somehow preventing it from collapsing and now that it had been destroyed there was nothing to hold it up anymore?" Miroku offered tiredly, leaning against a nearby tree as he clutched his hand to his body.

"But if that were the case, then why hadn't it collapsed before we got here?" Kagome frowned. "After all, I'm sure it was destroyed long before we even got here."

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted. "Its probably cause Naraku and whoever else the bastard has workin for him, wanted us to see what they did before it collapsed." He snarled, baring his fangs. "Probably his way of rubbin it in our faces."

"You're probably right," Kagome sighed before glancing at the monk again. "Hey Miroku?"

Miroku raised his head.

"What can I do for you Kagome?"

"I think maybe we should go see Mushin now that your wind tunnel has come back." She tilted her head. "Don't you?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, holding his hand up to study it before nodding.

"That's a good idea. Perhaps he could shed some light on my situation and repair it should I need it."

Sango eyed the setting sun as she adjusted Hiraikotsu over her shoulder. "Its gonna be a long journey." She looked around meeting everyone's eyes. "Should we push through tonight or wait and go tomorrow?"

Kagome bit her lip as she studied Miroku anxiously. "I think we should head there right away. I mean who knows if getting the wind tunnel that abruptly damaged it or him for that matter." She turned to look at Inuyasha. "I think it's better to be safe then sorry. Plus I don't want to linger here any longer then necessary." She murmured.

Inuyasha grunted as he took in the monks appearance, looking thoughtful and nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right wench. We can travel through the night and we should get there around daybreak."

Sango scratched Kilala's ears as she sat by her side still in battle form. "How about it Kilala? Think you could carry both myself and Miroku through the night?"

Kilala purred and nudged her hand making a soft rumbling sound.

Kagome smiled. "Alright, so I'll be with Inuyasha and-"

"Master Miroku!?" A voice shouted from a distance, stopping their conversation.

They turned to see a familiar face jogging towards them, glad it wasn't an enemy taking advantage of their weakness at the moment.

"Hey, its Hachi!" Shippo shouted.

"Way to point out the obvious runt." Inuyasha scoffed rolling his eyes as Shippo stuck his tongue at him.

Miroku straightened slightly and offered up a wave to his friend.

"How are you my friend?"

The raccoon dog panted as he came to a stop and gasped as he saw the entrance to the cave.

"Woah, what happened here?! Did you guys do this?"

He turned to look at the group and spotted the beads wrapped around the monks hand.

"Master, what are those-"

"Its a long story Hachi, but how about giving us a ride to see Mushin and I'll fill you in then?" Mirokus tired voice replied.

Hachi nodded and stood back to transform.

"Alright, but I wanna know everything once we get there."

"You've got it." He said as Sango boosted him up on top of the expanded raccoon.

The ride there was somber as no one wanted to break the silence that seemed to descend with such a hard realization that things were not what they seemed.

Shock, disbelief and anger ran through the group as they all tried to absorb what they had all just witnessed. Their mortal enemy, the one that had torn apart each of their lives with his hatred and malice was still running around, free to do whatever he wanted. Free to maim, to create chaos, free to kill and they were at a loss as to how to stop him and whoever revived him.

Muted conversation flowed through the night air as they all tried to come to terms with the realization that their quest was not done, that perhaps the last 4 years was for naught. How, why, who...all these floated through their minds. Somewhere along the way they'd been cheated, their victory felt hollow now, fake, leaving the group with a bitter taste in their mouths as they traveled through the night. But they would not give up, they were fighters through and through and they would see this to the end and make damn sure that when they killed the bastard this time he would stay dead, or die trying. He could not be allowed to live any longer, the world cannot withstand such evil and not fall into ruin.

Kagome leaned against Inuyasha's back and gazed at the night sky above. The twinkling of countless stars winked back at her and she heaved a great sigh feeling as though a tremendous weight was pressing down upon her. Inuyasha squeezed her hand gently as he twined them together, a silent affirmation that they were there for each other in this trying and confusing time. She smiled softly, squeezing back as he rubbed a thumb across her hand, relishing in this rare moment of serenity, accepting his silent companionship and returning it in kind. Sometimes they didn't need words to communicate between them and now was no different.

"Roku?"

Kagome's gaze landed back on her companions, her extended family, as Shippo's little voice broke the unbearable silence that had descended upon the group.

The little fox had his little hands resting on the monks crossed legs as he himself seemed to be lost within his own thoughts, eyes not truly seeing the night sky. Sango paused from her nervous cleaning of Hiraikotsu and bit her lip, watching the two out the corner of her eye.

"Roku?" Shippo's voice wobbled as he tried to get his attention again.

Tears pricked her eyes as she watched her adopted son, his usually cheerful voice wavered ever so slightly as he tried to bring comfort to one of his family members. It was clear he had no idea how to try and fix this situation, but he was trying nonetheless. Despite his size Shippo had a determined will inside of him a resolve to always be strong for his family and even with his age he was still considered to be just a child by demon standards. There were plenty of times he was frightened, but he always persevered and came through in the end, reinforcing the idea that he would surely be a powerful demon when he grew up.

Miroku heaved a tired sigh and closed his eyes for a moment before looking down at the fox tyke offering him a weak smile and Kagome could see he was barely keeping it together. She knew she'd probably be a blubbering mess had she been in his shoes.

"What is it, Shippo?" His voice sounded so exhausted, so much more older then he really was and yet again Kagome was in awe at just how strong her family was in the face of adversity. Here he was with the weight of the world back on his shoulders after thinking he was finally safe to live his life without wondering when his curse would claim him, back at square one. And yet he was still putting on a brave face as he tried to reconcile his situation of not knowing what tomorrow would bring. Miroku was pretty easy going, but being faced with the situation that had hung over his head from childhood she could see his confidence crumbling just a little. In his eyes reflected the uncertainty, the pain and realization that he felt weak, when he certainly wasn't. He was one of the most upbeat people she knew, with an inner strength that matched his outer one in the heat of battle. A fierce warrior would emerge when his loved ones were in danger making him a fearsome opponent indeed, even without the wind tunnel.

"Are you ok?" Shippo's big green eyes riveted on the monk.

Mirokus mouth quirked as he ruffled the kitsune's bangs.

"Yeah Squirt, I'm alright. Just thinking."

Shippo climbed into his lap and tenderly patted his cheek with a trembling hand.

"We'll keep it together for you." Shippo offered as he perched on the monks lap his bushy tail swaying in the breeze.

The familiar saying brought out small chuckles from the group and a much needed reprieve from the tense atmosphere. It was funny how the simple, innocent words of a child can change someones outlook in an instant.

"Thanks Shippo, it's nice to know I've got such strong ally's beside me." He said chuckling softly.

Shippo puffed his chest out with pride and hopped back over to Kagome, settling on her lap as he brought out his spinning top, fiddling with it as he drew warmth from his adoptive mother. Kagome kissed the top of his head tenderly and ran her fingers through his tail as she watched him polish his spinning top.

'Still so young to have to face such peril everyday.' She mused, shaking her head silently.

Inuyasha squeezed her hand again and she turned a bit to see his profile as he continued to stare out into the endless night. His silver ears were rapidly flicking back and forth showing his agitation, shoulders tense, golden eyes searching the night sky as if the stars themselves would have the answers to the universe. She knew out of all of them the situation had to be weighing heavily upon his mind and soul. He'd thought his enemy had been dispatched, gone straight to hell and consequently got his revenge for himself, his surrogate family and for Kikyo. She knew the thought that it had all been for naught shamed him and would blame himself, thinking that whatever happened was somehow his fault. But she was determined to keep her family together through this, it was no ones fault. No one could've seen this coming and she would be damned if this would tear their group apart, not without a fight.

"Inuyasha, what are we gonna do?" Kagome whispered, watching as an ear flicked in her direction.

A golden eye peered back at her and she almost gasped at the pain and confusion she saw warring in those globes. He'd never shown that much emotion in his eyes, at least not all at once. His whole life he'd lived hiding behind a mask, never showing how things affected him in the slightest. It was his way of coping with the cruel world he'd been subjected to since he was left alone after his mother died. So to see him so open, displaying such raw emotions, unsettled her and she knew it would fall to her to be his rock if he needed it and chances were they would all need it through this.

His usually rough voice came out soft and unsure, the words drifted along the wind almost being snatched away with the breeze.

"I don't know Kagome, I just don't know."

* * *

Miles away a demon lord paused in his travels, tilted his head and scented the air as a familiar smell invaded his senses. Narrowing his eyes he turned in the direction the scent was traveling and growled. Jaken stilled and trembled as Sesshomaru's youki rose around him dangerously, red seeping into his golden gaze as he studied the horizon. Whatever he was sensing had the inu on full alert and was none too happy, his posture promising pin for the recipient of his ire.

"M..My Lord?"

Rin, heedless of the danger, skipped up to the inu and latched onto his leg in affection, effectively drawing him out of his murderous thoughts as he turned to regard her for a moment. She gave him a wide smile in response, her calming aura soothed his hackles that had risen so suddenly.

"Rin you idiot, don't just gra-" The toad demon sputtered rushing up to the small child to reprimand her.

"Jaken."

"Eeep, y-yes Milord?" Jaken shivered as he jumped back in fear and clutched onto his staff for dear life.

"Stay here and watch over Rin."

"Where are you going my Lord?" Only to cringe as he was pinned with a glare from the inu.

"That's none of your concern. Now stay here and if any harm comes to her, you die."

Jaken swallowed nervously before bowing. "Yes, Milord."

Sesshomaru laid a hand on the child's head gently gaining her attention. "Rin."

"Yes, Milord?" She chirped happily.

"Behave."

"Of course!" She gave him a wide grin as she stepped back and stroked Au Uns noses as he grazed silently.

With one final look the demon lord strolled out of the clearing and into the great unknown. His destination, wherever that scent led him, because the one whom it belonged to was supposed to be deceased, sealed, never to be revived again. But finding Inuyasha's scent mixed in had him on edge. Just what was going on and why was the half breed's scent mixing with it and where was it heading? A multitude of questions floated through his head and he was determined to get all the answers, even if he had to beat them out of the stubborn hanyou.

* * *

"Hmmm, interesting, very interesting." Mushin scratched his chin as he studied Miroku's hand, after listening to their strange tale.

"Looks to me like this wind tunnel is bigger then the one you originally had."

"Does that mean my life span is even shorter?" Miroku asked quietly.

Mushin, sighed taking a swig from his sake jug and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Honestly?"

The group leaned in.

"I have no idea."

A collective groan flew through the air as Miroku smacked the back of the drunks head.

"You damn drunkard!"

"Tell me again why we are wasting our time here." Inuyasha grumbled.

Kagome shook her head as she went back to watching Shippo and Kilala playing in the yard, smiling as Shippo showed off some tricks for Hachi.

"Isn't there anything you can tell us? What about the bug we found?" She asked her eyes zeroed in on the insect on the floor, grimacing. She really hated bugs.

"Ah yes, now there is something I can tell you about that." He leaned forward to study the bug sitting on the floor still bound by sutras, a look of intense concentration on his face.

"I think you all know that it isn't just an ordinary bug. No this leech, or rather this demon parasite is very rare and I've never seen one myself but I am familiar with the description."

"A parasite?" Kagome asked. "We've seen those before but this one isn't like the ones we've encountered." She pointed out.

"Oh right, your referring to those ones that latch onto bigger demons right, Kagome?" Sango replied.

"Yeah, but those look nothing like this one."

"Indeed, and that's because this one only comes from a specific demon and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed that it is even here." His bushy eyebrows scrunched as he poked it with a stick.

"Why is that Master?" Miroku questioned.

The old man leveled a stern stare at the group that was highly unusual, the drunken haze that clouded his eyes cleared.

"Because the demon that this parasite belonged to was supposedly killed and sealed ages ago."

"And how do you know that ya drunkard? Inuyasha muttered.

He turned towards the hanyou.

"Because it was my duty to see that this demon remained sealed forever."

Inuyasha leaned closer in interest.

"So you know whose working with Naraku then? Tell me old man!"

Mushin leaned back as he took another swig of his sake, scratching his big belly before letting out a belch that had the group leaning back in disgust.

"Unfortunately it is not as simple as all that. I was given a scroll by my master describing a specific duty to watch over a certain demons remains and make sure he would never again see the light of day."

"This is the first time I've ever heard of this Master." Miroku stated, confused.

The old monk turned to him before sighing and looking back at the insect.

"That's because my dear boy, it was not something you needed on your shoulders. You already had the cursed wind tunnel looming over you so I did my part to watch over the demon until I could no longer."

"So whose been watching over it since then?" Inuyasha scowled. "Tell me you didn't just abandon your duty you old drunk!" He shouted.

"Of course not! I appointed a new guard years ago. Someone who was even stronger then I to watch over it in a shrine not too far from here, but carefully hidden away from prying eyes." He frowned, crossing his arms across his chest in thought. "But to see this, I would have to say that the guard didn't accomplish his task."

"No shit old man! Leave it to you to fuck everything up! Isn't this just fuckin' great!" Inuyasha shouted jumping to his feet and stomping out of the room probably to sulk in a tree.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted.

"Watch your mouth around Shippo!"

All she got back was a "Keh!" from him, and a "Yeah, you Baka!" from the kitsune.

"Isn't there anything you can tell us about the demon?" Sango asked as she leaned as close as she dared to the leech.

"How about what he looked like? Did the scroll mention anything like that? It would certainly narrow down his type." She said glancing back up at the monk.

The old man shook his head.

"That I cannot tell you. The scroll didn't go into detail about it, but it did mention some of the demons who defeated it by name. I'll have to dig it back out to refresh my memory. I do know that this was a rare demon and had no equal, meaning this bug should not be here at all."

"So there's nothing you can tell us then?" Kagome asked.

"I'm afraid not." He shook his head again. "The only one who could tell you anything would be one of the demons who defeated it. Now, that I think about it there was a well known name listed in there, along with a few vague descriptions of the demons who defeated it."

They all leaned in close.

"And who is this demon Mushin? Can you remember anything?" Kagome inquired, hopeful.

The monk thought for a good minute before tilting his head to stare out the door Inuyasha stomped out of earlier. "You know that hanyou seemed to fit one of the demons descriptions somewhat, only this one was full demon and much older then him."

Kagome tilted her head as she looked to Sango and Miroku.

"So, someone who resembled Inuyasha."

"Is older then him." Sango stated.

"And a full demon." Miroku finished, their eyes connecting while they all put the pieces together silently."

Kagome gasped. "You don't think the demon they are talking about-"

"Would be me, Miko."

A calm voice spoke from the open doorway drawing their attention with gasps, followed by a loud voice and a red blur appeared in front of them brandishing his sword.

"Sesshomaru!"


	6. Dead Demon Walking

hey hey! to try simplify things nichiki and myself have decided to post our own sides on our own walls, meaning you as the reader might have to go back and forth, but whats life without a little adventure? if you guys aren't into this, please let one of us know and we can go back to posting both chapters on both walls. i also think this will be the last time i remind people that the OC's in this story are my own from Eternity and The Key, go read the character bios on my profile page or the stories themselves if you are confused. in the mean time, let us venture forth into the next installment!

...

The Rekai Tantei were in Genkai's dojo, the usual meeting place for when there was a crisis in the world. Yukina, Koenma, Botan and Genkai were with them, but Hiei was not present. San wasn't worried about the small fire demon, she knew that he would be about, collecting information. She might have to remind him that Yukina's safety could be involved, but she was quite positive it wouldn't come up.

Koenma had put the two jewel shards with the first that Kurama had secured. Out of the three pieces, only two of them fit together, and they latched on while the other remained lose and dormant of life. San held the small glass vile in her hand, between her thumb and forefinger, observing the thing. She had seen it before, when it was all in one piece, so long ago. It had to take something very powerful to destroy it, and San had a feeling that whoever they were looking for wouldn't go down without a fight.

"So your father sent you here to talk to us, that can't be any good," mused Yusuke.

"It's not always bad news in Rekai, Yusuke," replied Koenma

"Let's not waste our time with idle banter," said Kurama. San looked and saw that he was focused, something about this was bothering him. He could probably sense it like she could, that their adventure wasn't over just yet, "In San's hands are three pieces of a gem that was never known to actually exist. San has confirmed it is in fact the Shikon Jewel."

"So what is it exactly?" asked Yukina.

"I've vaguely heard of it on my travels as a bandit, but there wasn't enough evidence to pursue it. The legend is that this powerful sacred jewel can grant you any power you wish, good or evil. Many demons have tried to go after this type of legend, but none have been known to survive," said Kurama.

"Obviously this isn't something that is lying around without protection," said Genkai.

"No," San chimed in. She had to be careful about what she was saying here, "It was guarded by something called a Midoriko. I believe that to be a person, but I can't be for sure. There is a village where the jewel lies, and its guarded by demon slayers. The original creator lies dormant there, and protective barrier blocks any and all who dare enter without a pure heart."

"That is correct," said Koenma, "About three years ago, the jewel was shattered, the pieces scattering all over Makai. The current miko quested and gathered all the shards and place the full jewel back in the original temple, sealed with the barrier. But seeing as you have three pieces already, something was able to break through, and the devastation it caused scattered pieces into Ningenkai."

"But why did it shatter in the first place?" asked Genkai.

"The barrier," said San.

"Of course. If the barrier is as you say, then it would have rejected anything with evil intent. If whatever being had made it in, the pressure of being rejected and the will of the evil would have been cataclysmic," said Kurama.

"Meaning that once again the jewel is scattered," said Yusuke.

"Why wasn't Reikai involved the first time?" asked Genkai.

"With everything going on currently in Ningenkai, a jewel shattered in one world keeping demons busy wasn't our biggest priority. Reikai was in place to protect the living, but I took that out of existence with my meddling. My father is concerned, however, that with something this huge that can cause one jewel to spread across two worlds that there needs to be some more damage control. I don't know where the current miko is, but I have better access to you guys. In which case I'm enlisting you for the job. You're all to involved with the constant pull towards this temple anyway."

"Our power keeps lesser demons at bay and more powerful ones cautious," mused Kurama to himself.

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Kuwabara.

"Go to the slayers village?" asked Yusuke.

"I doubt by the time we got there we'd pick up anything. Whoever did it would be long gone, and any traces of them wouldn't be around as well," answered San.

"Besides, having these shards will cause demons to seek us out for the power," said Kurama.

"How would they even know its here?" asked Kuwabara.

"You can't hear it because you're no part demon, Kuwabara, but since I was made aware of the shards, they seem to be pulsing. Almost as if they're calling out to someone."

"Based on the colour of these shards I'd say its calling out to either our enemy or the current miko," said San.

"What makes you think that?" asked Botan.

"The jewel shattered and has been tainted by demon energy. Only the miko can purify it. San is right, they could be calling out to the one who broke it, or the one who can restore it," said Koenma.

"Who is the miko?" asked Genkai.

"Strangely it was a young girl from Ningenkai. We kept an eye on her, but she would disappear into Makai and come back. Our agents were more focused on the current prophecy that we didn't spend too many resources into the Shikon Jewel."

"But you know her location?"

"Yes. I haven't sent anyone over there yet because we've been trying to locate jewel shards. That's where all of our time is going into. We have to gather as many as we can before whatever it is that wanted them in the first place can get them."

"So you'll be finding us the location. In the mean time, we can search for ourselves. Give me the location of the miko's birthplace and we'll go check it out. I'm assuming we'll be able to find one of the passageways to Makai from there," said Kurama.

"I'm not leaving here while Keiko is unconscious. That demon that put those shards in her knew exactly who she was," said Yusuke, his eyes hard.

"He's right. Even if it wasn't that stupid ogre, someone had put him up to it," said Genkai.

"Protection on this temple is already in place. My father has placed the warenai bara over the temple. Nothing will be able to get through it."

"Yippie," said San dryly.

"I'll keep in contact with Botan. Once I find anything I'll let you know and you can check it out," were his last words before he was gone back to Reikai.

...

San was in her garden, her mate close by. Yusuke wasn't ready to leave Keiko just yet, he was with his mate and Yukina. San didn't blame him, the half breed was unresponsive but the wolf knew that she would be fine. Besides, her thoughts were on the jewel and why she was carrying three of its pieces. If the miko is supposed to be the guardian, why was it accessed? She wanted to meet this strange human girl and figure it out. She had a bad feeling about this, and was curious as to why it directly involved them. She pulled out her copy of the prophecy, looking for any clues as to what was happening, but as she already knew, there wasn't anything written about this. More random chance that could happen in between tasks.

"Nothing I assume," it wasn't really a question, but a statement.

"No. But I wasn't expecting to find anything," she replied softly, putting the prophecy away and lying on the dirty floor. The stars were bright tonight, the moon calming her. She glanced at her mate. His hands were in his pants pocket, as he gazed at her halo. San could tell he wasn't really looking at it, he was in deep thought.

"How do you know the original colour of the jewel?" he asked her in a soft voice. He moved his gaze to her, but she was already back in the sky.

"I've been to the slayers village, heard the rumours about its true colour and purpose."

"Do they really kill demons on sight?"

"They're hunters yes. Demons haven't really been all that good to humans, yet they haven't had much of a choice but to live there. I spent many years in solitude, I did some traveling to keep my sanity."

"It didn't work too well."

San frowned, but then a rich laugh escaped her lips, "You chose eternity with me, dear."

"And I don't regret a moment of it, San. I think finding the miko would be our best bet. If she can purify the jewel shards and we can gather them, then we could put this away before it becomes a real threat."

"Yes, for a minute there I was almost worried about nothing," her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You know what I mean, San. Whoever had the power to break that barrier you speak of will be collecting shards just like we will. The miko is our best bet to gaining the shards ourselves faster."

"I wouldn't even know where to start looking for her."

"The slayers village is the only logical step."

"I doubt she'd be there. Besides, we have too many things to do here first. And when we go to Makai I'd like to check in with my intelligence before I bother chasing down the village."

"Should we bother with Takashi?"

"No. There's no need for his involvement while we at least have an idea of what we're doing. I doubt he'd be much help if this isn't part of his mission in the prophecy anyway."

"You're right. We should still be on guard. From what you say, the jewel contains great power that I'm surprised Hiei never went for back in his evil days."

"Hiei wouldn't bother with legends of uncertainty. I agree, however, we should find this miko and enlist her help. The best way to start is her home, I might be able to pick up a scent."

He walked over to her, standing above her and holding out a hand. She stared at it for a moment before looking into his green orbs. They were soft as she looked at him, but she knew he had questions about her past. Kurama couldn't help but wonder the things she got up to before he found her. It seemed that every time trouble found them, his mate had somehow been involved with it in some way shape or form. But that wouldn't be so bad if she just told him what was happening instead of hiding things from him. If he was only human, he would have had several heart attacks because of her actions and surprises by now.

She took his hand, allowing him to lift her effortlessly off the dirty floor of her garden. He kept her hand in his own, kissing her forehead and then leading her back to her bedroom. No matter how much they sat around and planned, it didn't change that they would need to start fresh in the morning. Here's hoping that they were truly safe under Enma's protection.

...

Moriko's tawny eyes opened. Sesshoumaru was still about, she could sense him. Her hands were still bound together, but she was surprised to feel that her feet were free. She frowned, knowing that it wouldn't be that easy to escape from this inu. What was he up to? She sat up, wondering where her captor was at this time. He wasn't far, but she knew that he wasn't in the cave. The fire was out, but there was food left in front of it. She knew that he had left it for her, and she reluctantly ate it. He was right though, whatever he had knocked her out with was completely gone from her system. Which didn't explain why he was keeping her not only alive, but alert.

She had waited long enough for him to come back into the cave, so she decided that she would just go and see what she could do about getting her hands free and escape. She knew that he was lurking, but she had no idea what he was up to. Once she stepped out into the Makai sun her spine tingled. Oh yes, he was out here, and directly behind her. He stuck something to her neck, and it made her tawny eyes go wide. She couldn't feel her demon energy, like it had vanished. The sudden loss of her powers made her feel light headed, and she would have fallen if he wasn't there to support her. He gently lowered her to the ground, and held her head up with his arm, the other hand still on her neck.

"What have you done?" she asked with malice in her voice.

"I have use for a warrior such as yourself. But until you can learn to trust me, I need to make sure you aren't going to be running away any time soon. A simple solution to that was to take away access to your demon energy," he replied soothingly, looking into her tawny eyes calmly as he explained himself.

Moriko glared at him in hatred, "You're better off just killing me," she spat at him.

"If you refuse to cooperate I just might. Until then you don't have much of a choice but to come with me. I will return your power, but only when I'm sure that you're on board."

"I will never help you. Just kill me and get it over with."

He frowned a bit at her, but his face was still calm. Her tawny eyes were hard, she was not happy, but she was having trouble with that golden gaze piercing into her soul. How was he doing that? And why couldn't she look away? It was then she realized his proximity to her, and it took her breath away.

"Fate brought you here, ookami. I will not give up such a good gift, especially when it willingly wanders into my grasp. You have a long journey ahead of you, and right now, part of it is with me."

She growled slightly, there was no way she was going to fight with this demon, unless it was to kill him, "You're wrong," she seethed.

"There's only one way to find out."

She was startled by that answer. She didn't get a chance to retort, because at that moment, he brought her back to her feet. He kept his hands on her arms just below the shoulders, his golden gaze never leaving her, "Can you stand?"

"I..." she was unsure of what to say. He let go of her, but kept his hands close in case he had to grab her again. She didn't falter, which was a good sign.

He nodded at her, "Let's go," and he walked passed her away from the cave.

She stood there a moment and blinked. She put her hands up to her neck and felt something as small as a freckle there. She tried to pull it out but it sent a tremendous shock throughout her body, bad enough to make her scream and fall to her knees. After a moment, Sesshoumaru was standing in front of her, smirking.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" he was almost amused.

"I cannot wait to taste your blood," she retorted.

"Enough of this foolishness," he was annoyed.

She was suddenly jerked onto her feet by the bounds on her wrists. She saw it then, thread that she never knew was there attached to her wrists and to his own. She wouldn't be able to get away and remove that accursed thing on her neck. She really was stuck with him. It was of no matter, once she tricked him into trusting her she would kill him and be done with it. And she would have plenty of time to think about it, as this dead demon walking dragged her into the forest, a destination completely unknown to her.

...

thanks again! please let me know what you think!


	7. Unearthing the Past

Inuyasha stood in front of the stoic demon lord, his fangs bared as he grasped the hilt of his sword so tight his knuckles were white.

"What the fuck do ya want, you bastard?!"

"Inuyasha! Language!" Kagome shouted, as she stood up and tried to get between the brothers, hoping the two wouldn't get into a colossal fight just then.

A deep growl rumbled in the hanyou's chest as he tried to push Kagome behind him, "Dammit Wench! Get back!"

"No! This is no time to be getting into meaningless fights Inuyasha and you know that! It's obvious we know nothing about whats going on and one of the only people who does, is right in front of us," she gestured at Sesshomaru.

"I don't trust him," Inuyasha growled.

Kagome threw up her arms in frustration and turned to level a glare at him.

"Can't you for once just talk to him like a normal person without waving your sword around like a lunatic? He helped us with Naraku and that right there should tell you that he's trustworthy and has honor. We don't have a lot of options here to find answers. So how about you shut up and swallow your pride so we can get some straight answers and get ahead of this thing for once?"

"I ain't gonna ask this asshole nothin'!"

"Inuyasha, don't make me say it," Kagome threatened, getting into his face.

"Wench.." he snarled.

"Miko."

The two finally stopped their argument and turned towards Sesshomaru who had been patiently waiting for them to stop their useless prattle.

Kagome grimaced and backed off, "Sorry about that Sesshomaru. Was there something you wanted to know?" Inuyasha muttered obscenities as Kagome elbowed him and hissed at him to put his sword away.

"This Sesshomaru came across a scent, one that should be sealed away. Can you explain why you have this scent mixed in with yours, Inuyasha?" he leveled a cool gaze on the hanyou.

Inuyasha scoffed and slid his sword back into the sheath, crossing his arms, "And what damn scent would that be? There's a lot of scents in the air. You're gonna need ta be more specific."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and took a step closer.

"Do not lie to me boy. This scent is unique and curiously mixed with one that reeks of that abomination Naraku. Why is that?" His voice came out in a low growl and Kagome backed up and step as Inuyasha pushed her behind him instinctively. It was clear this was a touchy subject, though they had no clue why.

"Hey don't take your anger out on us bastard. We don't know jack shit about this, but you sure seem to know something. So why don't you tell us whats goin' on?"

Kagome meekly stepped out to the side much to Inuyasha's chagrin and hesitantly approached the demon having trouble keeping his anger at bay.

His nostrils flared as the scent of ages past swirled around him, mixed with that filth Naraku. Memories long since buried resurfaced as it seemed to taunt him, reopening old wounds that he thought long since scarred. It was like a slap in the face to all the hard work he'd done to subdue that damn thing that it was out somewhere walking free once again.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome whispered, gasping as his eyes pinned her in place, red swirling within his golden depths, "Would you like to have a seat and maybe we can talk about what we found and you can tell us anything you wish to share," she made sure to keep her voice level as she regarded him and noticed the tension leaving his body as he finally gave her a brief nod. Sesshomaru had a seat on one of the steps and waited as Kagome settled down at a respectable distance, pulling a grumbling Inuyasha down with her.

Inuyasha was still bristling over having to get help from his bastard of a brother but at the same time they had no other clues so he had to suck it up and put up with his presence, for now. He scooted closer to Kagome, eyeing the demon with distrust, making sure he wouldn't have the opportunity to hurt her if he did lose control of his temper. He had no clue just what the hell Sesshomaru had to do with all this, but it was clear he was deeply involved and could possibly give them a lead to whoever was behind all this. He had to admit his curiosity was peaked when whatever was rolling around inside his mind made his demon rear up enough to seep into his eyes. There was history here and no one save him, another demon and the one who was supposed to be sealed, knew. He was jolted out of his thoughts as Kagomes voice explained just what had happened.

"...So when I felt the jewel reawaken I immediately knew something was wrong and we decided to go to the cave where it had been sealed."

"The slayers village," Sesshomaru interjected.

Kagome nodded, "Yeah, but I knew something was off when we started into the cave. Where there had been a powerful barrier to protect against people sensing the jewel, nothing remained."

Sesshomaru stiffened, his eyes narrowing, "Do you mean to say the barrier was erased? How is that possible? No one save you, could have the power to do such a thing."

Kagome chewed her lip.

Inuyasha growled and leaned in close, hand once again on the hilt of his sword, "You sayin' Kagome did something to the barrier?"

"Inuyasha, he isn't saying that." She tried to soothe his hackles, knowing he was just being protective of her and her abilities.

"The hell he isn't!"

"Inu.."

"This Sesshomaru merely wished to get all the facts straight, nothing more," Sesshomaru stated in his most emotionless tone.

"See?" Kagome said calmly looking pointedly at Inuyasha, "He meant nothing by it."

Inuyasha snorted and looked away, still bristling. He jumped slightly when he felt Kagome thread her fingers through his between their bodies away from prying eyes and stroked her thumb along his hand. Kagome smiled slightly as she watched him blush out the corner of her eye. All it took was a slight touch and he'd calm down. He was getting better at controlling his temper but every once in a while he still showed signs of the brash youngster he was when they first met.

She turned back to the demon lord and continued her story. "Anyway, we ventured into the main cave and found nothing but rubble where there used to be a huge stalagmite of Midoriko in the jaws if a mighty demon."

Sesshomaru nodded absently, thinking over the facts. He himself had never gone into the cave but knew from previous descriptions from this group what was inside. "And the jewel? What of that?"

Kagome slumped. "Gone. Sango had seen what sounds like the jewel being split apart again. So, we can probably assume that it is once again scattered into hundreds of pieces. How many, I can't say."

"Is there a reason Miko, that this Sesshomaru smells that abomination Naraku on your group?"

The group all turned their eyes towards the monk as he sat up straight, still tired from what happened earlier and met the demons eye without flinching. "We fear he has been somehow resurrected my Lord."

"You have proof of this Monk?"

Miroku nodded and pushed up his sleeve showing the purple wrap adorned with prayer beads around his right hand.

"So, he has indeed returned." Sesshomaru murmured. The fact that his wind tunnel reappeared was beyond any fact that the vermin was once again walking free to wreak havoc on the world. But the question remained just how he managed that when he was sure they'd completely obliterated his existence from the world.

"We also found something in the cave Sesshomaru." Kagome interjected bringing his attention back to her.

"What did you find, little Miko?"

Kagome looked towards Inuyasha who used his swords sheath to push a lump across the way towards the demon with a sneer. Everyone watched as the demon Lord zeroed in on the immobile lump with a ferocity that swirled through the air.

Kagome swallowed hard, trying to keep her powers from surfacing and angering the already pissed off demon further. "Have you seen this before Sesshomaru?" She whispered. From his reaction it was more then obvious he had but they still needed confirmation.

His eyes snapped up to hers and studied the group for a few minutes before baring his teeth in a snarl. "Indeed, little Miko. I have seen this disgusting creature before long, long ago."

Inuyasha growled, clearly impatient with his pussyfooting around the questions. "Well? Ya gonna tell us or not bastard?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome admonished.

"What? We need information and this assholes keepin' it from us." he turned back to his brother and fingered his swords sheath. "So, you gonna tell us what we wanna know or do I hafta beat it outta ya?"

"Dammit Inuyasha, you have no tact!"

"Whaddya mean?" his brows scrunched.

"You can't just demand stuff like that."

"The hell I can't! We gotta know.."

"This Sesshomaru will tell you what you need to know and nothing more halfbreed."

"Why you.."

Kagome slapped her unoccupied hand over the hanyou's mouth and smiled weakly, "Of course Sesshomaru. Anything you wish to share would be immensely helpful."

Sesshomaru turned to look up into the night sky, his mind sifting through long buried memories for a few moments. "It was indeed a formidable demon that this Sesshomaru faced long ago. The immense power radiating off that creature was one that rivaled even that of my fathers and had I not heeded my instincts this Sesshomaru would've not survived."

The groups eyes went wide and even Inuyasha sat there not saying a word, which was saying something. It was one thing for Sesshomaru to admit someone was stronger then him, it was another to say that he almost died from the confrontation.

Inuyasha shook himself out of his stupor, "You mean ta say that you almost got your a-"

Kagome slapped her hand back over the hanyou's big mouth with a nervous laugh as Sesshomaru turned back towards them. "Ehhehe, pay him no mind." She turned and gave a glare to the hanyou and he grunted as she slipped her hand off his mouth, turning a thoughtful gaze back to the demon lord. "So, you said you heeded your instincts, what exactly does that mean?"

"It means, Miko, that this Sesshomaru required help dispatching this formidable foe," he replied, dryly. But they could see that saying such a thing wounded his pride. Or was it something else?

"Ok," she nodded, "So should we go find this per-"

"That is none of your concern, Miko," he interjected with a cold gaze.

"The hell it ain't!" Inuyasha bellowed.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed.

"Look here ya bastard. If this things as powerful as you say it is we might need whoever it was to help again, especially if Naraku's in the mix!"

Sesshomaru scowled at his half brother, but also he looked thoughtful.

Kagome cleared her throat hesitantly, "While Inuyasha could have worded that a bit better, he does have a point my Lord. We aren't trying to dig into your past because we want to. We just want to be prepared if things go to hell, which they normally seem to do around us," she laughed softly, earning a few chuckles from their group as well.

Sesshomaru sat in silence, studying the young priestess for a long moment before he nodded slightly, "If it comes down to that, this Sesshomaru will take care of it," he stood swiftly, signaling that was the end of the discussion, "For now, go back to the old woman's village and await more news," he summoned his cloud and took off into the night, his mind completely lost in thought.

"Dammit! He barely told us anything!" Inuyasha shouted, glaring at the fading demon.

"I think perhaps we should heed his advice and go back to Kaede's village for the time being." Miroku offered, the exhaustion creeping into his voice as he yawned.

Sango nodded in agreement as Kagome picked up the now snoring kitsune out of her lap and set about putting him into her sleeping bag to get ready for bed herself looking contemplative.

"Kagome?" Sango spoke up, startling the young woman out of her thoughts, "What is it?"

"Oh, sorry I was just lost in my thoughts," she laughed softly.

"You've obviously got somethin' on yer mind, so spit it out wench," Inuyasha clearly hadn't recovered from Sesshomaru's visit.

The girls leveled a dirty look on the hanyou making him cough and shift uncomfortably under their stares.

Kagome shook her head and stroked her fingers through Shippo's bangs, "Well, it's just that this whole debacle reminds me of one of my grandfathers old stories."

Inuyasha snorted, "Ya know that old man's full of shit. Half the crap he says comes across as total garbage."

"Ok, while most of the things he says is wrong or skewed a lot of his stories always seem to have a kernel of the truth," she tapped her bottom lip, "In fact I know of some old scrolls that were passed down through my fathers family who ran the shrine in our store house. I'm sure if I bribed gramps with some old artifacts he'll let me go through them."

The others nodded as they all settled down for the night, "Sounds like a plan lady Kagome," Miroku muttered, "So tomorrow we go back to the village. Meanwhile let's all try to get some sleep."

Kagome settled into her sleeping bag and cuddled Shippo close to her body, smiling as he buried himself down into the sleeping bag to snuggle against her tummy. A light thump caught her attention as she blearily looked around spotting Inuyasha was settling against the wall barely a couple of feet away from her. That caught her off guard since he usually opted to sleep outside in a tree or on the roof to keep watch, but she suspected he was responding to the very real threat that something powerful was out there. He obviously didn't want to go very far from his pack. She smiled softly as he opened an eye spotting her still awake.

"Go to sleep wench. We got a long way to go tomorrow and we need to be awake and alert if we don't wanna get caught unawares," He rumbled, nudging her with his knee.

She nodded, snuggling into her pillow with a sigh knowing he would be watching over her and their group.

"Dammit, there's too much dust in here!" Inuaysha shouted, opening the store house doors to wave some of it out, hacking in the process.

Kagome and Inuyasha had barely gotten out of the well before Kagome's family ambushed them demanding hundreds of questions.

"Are you alright sis? You took off so fast we didn't know what was wrong?! What was that purple light about? You gonna be floating like that all the time?"

"Kagome dear, you gave your mother quite a start. Now what's this I hear bout the jewel? Something happen we should know about?"

"Oh I'm so glad to see you're alright!" Kagomes mother had grabbed onto her daughter and just about crushed her, refusing to let her go, "You don't know how worried I was young lady! What happened? Where'd you go? What was that light?"

It had taken nearly an hour to calm them down enough to fill them in on what was going on and finally after a few choice bribes to her grampa, she'd managed to finagle the store house keys from him.

Kagome coughed and waved her hand to clear some of the dust, "It can't be helped Inuyasha. That scroll is in here somewhere and gramps hasn't been able to get in here to clean, he's getting too old for many of the chores around here. Just suck it up and help me look," she perched on a step ladder sifting through the things on the top shelves.

Inuyasha grunted and began looking through the lower items, "So whats this damn thing look like anyway?"

"A scroll," She deadpanned.

"No shit! I meant does it look any different from a regular one or what?"

She sighed and coughed again after accidentally getting a lungful of dust. "Nope. I'm afraid its just a normal looking wrinkled old scroll. Doesn't look any different."

"Great, that means we'll be here all damn day."

"Oh shut up and grab an armful so we can go through them."

They moved a pile of the scrolls to the opening of the store house and sat down to get out of the dust while they searched. The air was filled with crinkling and the smell of musty old parchment as they made their way through the pile.

Kagome cleared her throat gaining the hanyou's attention, "Do you think this demon is really as powerful as Sesshomaru says?" She whispered.

"Keh. While I ain't thrilled we gotta rely on that bastard for anything I know he wouldn't lie about something like that and if they brought Naraku back to life we know for sure this thing has some major power," He sneered.

Kagome nodded, "It just seems like whenever we think we're ahead someone else comes along stronger and even more dangerous." She whispered.

Inuyasha paused and shifted his golden eyes to the young woman beside him, seeing her slumped shoulders, "Hey," he waited until she turned to meet his gaze, "You know I'll always protect you, no matter what, right?"

A tentative smile broke over her face as she threaded their fingers together, "I know Inuyasha, thank you. I have faith in you."

He coughed as a blush spread across his cheeks and they went back to their searching. He still wasn't used to showing his emotions, but he was getting better at it with Kagome's help.

"Hey!" Kagome screeched, startling Inuyasha as he whipped his head around looking for danger before his vision was clouded by white. He pulled back and noticed it was a scroll that Kagome had shoved in his face excitedly.

"Here it is Inuyasha! This is the one!"

He tenderly grabbed the scroll and scanned the words as she leaned over to read with him. It was definitely old from the looks and smell of it and there were a few words he didn't know

"Think Kaede could help with some of the translating on here?" Kagome murmured, tracing a few characters absently.

"Couldn't hurt to try," he muttered back, turning the parchment this way and that.

Kagome jumped up and grabbed his hand dragging him towards the well house.

"Well, come on then. No time like the present! I'm sure the others will be happy we found something."

"Geez, wench slow down," he grumbled, but clasped onto her hand with a tilt to his lips. Sometimes her enthusiasm was contagious.

As he circled Kagome's waist and jumped back into the time stream Inuyasha suddenly felt the surge of demonic auras in their vicinity, but shrugged it off thinking it was coming from the feudal era and not hers. They hadn't ever found any trace of demons in her time, so he thought nothing of it.


	8. Stench of Makai

Keiko had finally woken up, and was walking with record time. San was actually impressed with how the demon in her had altered the healing process in her body. It was a bit rocky here and there, but the young girl was adjusting well and not rejecting the change like San had first feared. But that was not what she was focused on at the moment. With Keiko awake it meant that she could finally get Yusuke on the move to start figuring out what the hell was going on and the best way to get ahead of it. She didn't care if she had to take the girl with them, as long as they got a move on. This wasn't something to just wait out, they had no idea where they were going to find this miko.

With that clear in mind, San had marched her way towards Yusuke and Keiko's room first thing after she woke up. Kuwabara would have been easier to deal with because he really had nothing better to do. Yes he had a human life but San was sure she was going to need the young seer for this journey. If they could get any advantage, she wanted to take it. As she opened the door to Yusuke and Keiko's room she could only laugh. The two of them immediately gasped, pulling the covers over themselves in shame.

"Don't you knock!" exclaimed Yusuke but San just ignored him as she continued to laugh.

"Hey what's so fun- OH GOD!" Kuwabara just happened to be walking by, which made San laugh so hard a tear fell from her eye as she dropped to her knees.

"Damnit Kuwabara get out!" Yusuke poked his head out from the blanket. Kuwabara was redder than his hair, making strangling noises while San's face started to hurt from laughing.

"Is something wrong, Kazuma?" Yukina poked her head in to see what the commotion was. She gasped, her eyes going wide and face turning red as well. If it was possible, San was laughing even harder.

"Damnit will you all get out and close the damn door?!" Yusuke yelled at them. Yukina was unable to move as there was a road block in the door. Kurama had pushed his way through.

"What's going on here?" he asked calmly,"Oh dear," his cheeks flushed slightly, but he had a grin on his face. It was nice to know that he wasn't the only one who had people walk in on him. He saw his mate with tears in her eyes as she laughed. He smiled at her, happy to see her laugh so freely.

"Oh is this where everyone is?" asked Botan, pushing her way into the room.

"Seriously?!" screamed Yusuke.

"Oh good, you're all here. Oh, except Keiko and Genkai, should I go get them?"

"NO!"

"Oh very well then. I just received word from Koenma. He's got the location of where the miko lives. Higurashi Shrine is the place," said the pilot. She then blinked, noting that San was having trouble breathing, "Are you alright San? What's wrong?" Kurama stifled a laugh himself, "Seriously, why are you all acting so funny? Maybe I should find Genkai... Is she with Keiko?"

"I sure hope not," San managed to choke out between laughter in a high pitch voice. Her statement caused Kurama to choke on a laugh that wanted to escape and Kuwabara cringe, trying to stop himself from screaming.

"What do you mean you hope not? Yusuke where is- OH!" Botan's amethyst eyes widened, realization hitting her. She began to laugh nervously, "Oh my, this is a bit of an interesting situation. But, why are you all in here? Can Keiko even breathe?"

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST GET OUT!" but his cries were only met with his sister wolf's laughter.

...

"Higurashi Shrine you say?" asked Genkai, confirming what Botan had told the others earlier.

Keiko had made an appearance but found her feet so much more interesting than everyone else. Yusuke hovered over her, but you could tell he was avoiding specifically the wolf's eyes. San of course kept an amused look on her face the whole time. Kurama kept his face neutral, but found it quite difficult with his mate's smirk. Genkai was pretending that she didn't know what happened earlier this morning. Kurama and San knew better at least, maybe Yukina, but they had to move forward.

"Yes that's what Koenma told me. The human girl we're looking for lives there, or at least, she did. Her family is still there though," said Botan.

"I know exactly where that is."

"Oh?" questioned San.

"Who'd have thought the old coot had some truth to his tall tales," Genkai continued to muse, ignoring everyone else, "I always thought he was just a cheap sell out. Never thought anything out of his mouth was true."

"You know these people then," stated Kurama.

"I know the old fart who owns the shrine. He's been telling stories of Makai legends for years. In the last three years he's been telling tales of a half demon being put to sleep for 50 years by a miko. I just never thought it was true, he was always a sell out. Learned that the hard way."

"You've been there then," San raised a brow.

"During my youth before the Dark Tournament. Either way, might be nice to win some money."

"Wow Grandma, didn't think you'd come with us," said Yusuke.

"You're not ready to go out alone yet."

"At least I'm out of diapers."

"I'm not that old yet Yusuke, but between you and San I've aged twice as fast."

Kurama chuckled lightly, "I know what you mean."

"Listen fox boy, having natural silver hair doesn't count as aging!" yelled Yusuke.

"How long is it going to take to get to the shrine?" asked San.

"Most of the day. If we leave now we can make there while its still daylight at least," answered Genkai.

"Will we be seen by many?" Kurama inquired.

"Most likely, its in civilization after all."

Kurama nodded, "Then we shouldn't have to worry about being conspicuous in the daytime. Might be a little strange to get there at night. We should leave as soon as possible."

"Agreed," said San.

There was nothing else to say, they had to get ready to leave. San was the first to retreat from the dojo, allowing Keiko and Yusuke time to at least try to regain their composure before they made the journey. The wolf was only bummed that they would have to get there the human way. It wasn't like Kyrokai's where they could simply run or fly. This was a shrine where many people came and went to. San wondered why Genkai would have bothered to go to a place like that at all. She was usually much smarter than to frequent in such absurdity. It didn't matter anyway, they were finally one step closer to figuring out what was going on.

...

Moriko watched the crackling fire as a light breeze blew, bringing with it the promise of a storm in the air. Her wrists were still bound together, the stupid thread still attached to her captor. They had done a lot of walking, and she had no idea where he was planning on taking her. She knew that he needed her for something specific, or this demon lord would have killed her by now. Her tawny eyes were defiant as she stared into the dancing flames. She hadn't said a word since he had taken away her powers a few days ago, but he also hadn't tried to engage her in any conversation.

Every time they stopped he would cook, and she prayed with each bite that it was poison. But she knew that it wouldn't be. Logically, there would be no need to poison her after all the effort he had gone through to make sure she didn't get away. He had plenty of opportunity to kill her, yet he stubbornly insisted on using her for something. There wasn't anything all that special about her, and she found it silly that he continued with his foolishness. He was very patient, that was for sure, since he hadn't said anything about his plans whatsoever. What was he doing? Where were they going? What was he planning? She supposed she would have no choice but to wait.

The fire popped, sending an ember towards her. She didn't notice, her mind too deep in thought. The only thing that brought her out of her reverie was something warm on her thigh. She blinked, seeing his hand there. A small blush creeped to her cheeks and she looked at him in alarm. He pulled his hand away, not even paying attention to her and she saw a burn mark there, through her clothes and on her skin. She frowned at it, wondering why she hadn't noticed she was burning. Without her demon energy flowing through her, she felt like her mind was put to sleep. It wasn't, she knew that, but it was like a life line that he had taken away. She was no better than a human like this. Bastard.

"You should pay better attention to your surroundings," he said in a neutral tone.

"I do not need you to tell me things I have long since known," her voice dripped with malice as she looked at him in hatred.

He wasn't phased in the slightest by her tone. If anything, he was internally groaning, "Why do you insist on fighting me like this? You're wasting time with this needless rebellion."

"You captured me and are now forcing me along this journey that you speak nothing about. You know very well that I do not wish to help you. You really expect me to embrace captivity with open arms?"

Her defiant tawny eyes bore into his steady golden gaze. It had been almost a week since he had captured her, and it wasn't so much that she was mad about that, she was mad she had let it happen in the first place. She was never one to accept her failings and mistakes, but while he wasn't giving her any choice she would take out all of her frustrations on him.

"You haven't even told me your name and have expressed nothing but a willingness to kill me. What fool would let you go free with your demon energy intact?"

"You could have just let me free."

"No, I could not. You are the answer to a question I have been trying to figure out for decades, centuries perhaps."

"And what question is that?"

"No. If you want answers then I need the trust that you refuse to not only give me but demand of me."

"You've given me no reason to trust you, Sesshomaru."

"I gave you my name in trust. I know your kind, ookami. Give me your name and perhaps I'll release you from your bonds."

The wolf stared at him, trying to see if there was any truth to what he was saying. He knew how the wolves functioned, knew that there would only be one way to at least stop feeling like a prisoner. He was right, she would have to trust him. So far he had been there to stop her from hurting herself, catch her from falling, and making sure she rested and ate without pushing her. In fact, he had pretty much been almost a perfect gentleman despite capturing her in the first place. There was really nothing more to lose at this point, she was basically at his mercy.

"I am called Moriko Chie," she spoke in a slightly defeated voice, all aggression gone.

She saw the slight flicker of emotion in his eyes, "Moriko," the sound of her name made her feel as if her will crumbled. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she felt his hands upon her own. He removed her bonds gently, her arms finally free. He kept his hands there, holding them lightly, rubbing a thumb over them, to make sure that they weren't injured, "Better?"

"Yes," she was almost breathless. What was happening to her?

He nodded, his hands still holding her own, "Only I can restore your powers, so if you find something to kill me with you will never have access to them again," he told her calmly.

She frowned, "So what was the point in keeping me from using my hands?"

"As I previously stated, part of your journey is with me, and you need to learn to trust me."

She opened her mouth to say something, but could not think of anything. This demon really threw her for a loop, she had never met someone who could do that before. For the first time, she was interested in where this journey was going to take her.

...

Public transportation was a bitch. That was San's view on it. She had to use it before and she wasn't really a big fan. But when there was a bunch of people, like Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Botan and her mate all at once, it was a huge annoyance. If Keiko wasn't there they could have just hopped a bunch of roof tops while Botan flew on her oar. But Yusuke insisted on bringing Keiko, which San could only understand too well. But after nearly a full day of traveling they had finally arrived at their destination. San was relieved that she didn't have to travel anymore, but groaned when she saw the entry way. What was it about old people and stairs?

"Oh come on!" Kuwabara felt the same as she did. They would probably reach the top at sunset.

"Stairs are a good way to keep idiots out, or to keep them up there," said Genkai.

"If this guy is a sell out then why inconvenience everyone?" asked San.

"Lots of people come here, the stairs don't matter. I know his stories are full of shit, but he's very good at selling out."

"Seriously people go all the way up there just to hear a few tall tales?" asked Yusuke.

"It appears so. But we have a bit more of an advantage than they do," said Kurama, who eyed the top with almost indifference.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kuwabara. Yusuke grabbed Keiko, while Kurama took a hold of Botan. Everyone jumped out of sight, leaving Kuwabara clueless as they all disappeared around him. He blinked while he looked around for a second, "HEY! WAIT UP!" he screamed at them, following suit.

It was definitely faster and better than walking up all of those stairs, and technically they were still there during "business hours". The sun hadn't quite set yet, but the lights in the buildings were on. San looked at her mate, knowing that he felt it just as she did. It was like they had entered a psychic territory, but not what had happened. This shrine had a different atmosphere, something that alerted them to the change in energy signature. San caught a familiar scent, and it was fresh. She found it strange that she would smell demon here, but didn't let it show on her face. Kurama would notice anything different about her, and she wasn't quite sure how she would answer his questions just yet.

Kuwabara had caught up to them and surprisingly, he wasn't out of breath. They didn't see anyone from where they stood, but Kurama and San at least could smell people in the vicinity. They were waiting on Genkai's move, since this was something she knew more about than the rest of them. One thing San was sure of, a resonating power that smelled of Makai, her home land. She looked at her mate, and knew that he was smelling the same things that she was. He had that focused look in his green orbs, his brain turning everything over in his mind. She wondered what he was trying to figure out, especially in a new territory like this.

"You feel it to?" Kurama asked his mate.

"Yes. A demon was here very recently, and there's a gate to Makai close by," replied San, "and something very sacred lives here. It's very peaceful, almost like Genkai's temple."

"The years have changed it, that's for sure," said Genkai.

"So what are we looking for?" asked Botan.

"Genkai!" they all heard someone call for the old pink haired woman. They all snapped their heads towards the source, seeing an old man walking towards them, "I thought you were dead!"

"Not before you, old man," said Genkai.

The old man chuckled, but then frowned once he reached them, "You've brought demons to my temple," he did not sound pleased about this.

"And you've grown more than I thought you would. I see business is booming."

"Why did you bring a bunch of half breeds to my shrine?"

"Half breeds? You're not as good as you think old man," said San distastefully.

"You're at least half human."

San glared at him, "I take the form of a human, but I am in fact far from it."

"Never mind, San," said Genkai, "Jii, I'm not here for a courtesy call. You have information that might not be a crock of shit. What do you know about the Shikon Jewel?"

The old man's eyes widened, flickering between Genkai, San and Kurama, seeing as those were the most piercing of gazes. He then regained his composure too quickly, clearly unable to hide his emotions as well as he thought. San crossed her arms, narrowing her tawny eyes, "I know nothing of a Shikon Jewel. You've come to the wrong place."

"Bullshit," said Yusuke.

"Koenma told me that the miko lives here,"said Botan.

"Koenma? King Enma's son?" questioned Jii.

"The very same. Where's the miko, Jii? We need to find her now," said Genkai.

"There is no miko here."

"Perhaps we need to be more persuasive," said Kurama.

"Never mind Kurama," said Genkai.

"Kurama? As in Youko Kurama?" Jii looked at the fox incredulously.

"The very same," replied Kurama calmly, but San knew he was suspicious.

"So it's true! And where is Moriko Chie? I know she survived."

"That is not your concern old man," San interjected with a cold voice. This was a surprise, definitely not expected from the things Genkai had told her about this old man and this shrine, "Now tell us what you know of the Shikon Jewel. Where is the miko that resides here? We need to talk to her."

"I already told you I don't know!"

"Stop lying to us, Jii. We know better and if you know who Kurama is then you know he could level this place without much effort. Now let's go have a talk about your running mouth and get to the bottom of this."

He looked thoughtful, staring at them all. He met eyes with Kurama, then San, and again with Genkai. San knew exactly he would be so secretive about this. On his view, Genkai had brought demons to his temple and asked about a relic that most demons pursued. But he should be smarter than try to lie. Finally the old man nodded at Genkai, and led them towards the house. As San walked, she could Makai a lot stronger, and it made her stop and frown. Lingering with it was the scent of a demon she had met many many years ago, but she couldn't quite place the name or the face.

This demon was here earlier in the day, if not, had left just before they had arrived. Her mate was standing in front of her, probably noticing that she wasn't with the group. She looked at him with that same frown on her face. He kept his gaze calm, giving her a knowing look. He nodded at her once, taking her hand gently. They walked around the perimeter, knowing that with a fresh demon scent here there could be more of them lurking around. They weren't in any rush, walking at leisurely pace as the sun began to set.

It was almost like a calling, as the sun set right where the Makai stench was coming from. They walked towards what looked like a shed, knowing that was the source of the demon world was radiating out of it. As they approached, they used their senses to try and figure out if there were any more apparitions about. Not feeling anything, Kurama led the two of them to the door, and he opened it. An ominous wind blew, as the smell of decay filled their nostrils. They walked towards the well, looking into it. This was it, the portal to Makai. She looked over at her mate, the two of them sharing a look before going back towards the others.

...

thanks guys love you!


	9. A Demon of that Time

hello dearies! due to some major real life events, nichiki will be absent for a little while and i will be picking it up on my own until she is able to return. sorry for the late update, but hopefully i can get right back into it

...

Kaede peered over the scroll that Kagome and Inuyasha had brought her. The two were convinced that in this ancient text was a clue to help them solve the current jewel problem they were having now. It was very old, and felt like it would crumble in her hands. But the language was extinct it looked like, very archaic. She had never seen anything like it before. She frowned as her eyes rolled over each letter, word. Here lied the clues they needed but there was no way for her to figure it out. The would need someone who had lived much longer, and so far the only person she knew of would be Sesshoumaru himself. If the demon would just tell them what's going on then they wouldn't have to resort to this.

"I'm sorry, but this is beyond my years," said Kaede, defeated.

"Whaddya mean beyond your years?!" exclaimed Inuyasha.

"It was written long before my time, long before anyone I know. Ye have better luck seeking out a demon of the time."

"A demon of that time?" inquired Sango.

Kaede nodded, "A demon much older than Inuyasha might suffice."

"Let me guess, a demon like Sesshoumaru," said Miroku, deep in thought.

Inuyasha scoffed, hating that it just pointed back to his full demon brother. Their last encounter with him was not so positive. All he really said was that this demon was powerful and he needed help killing it. Who was the mystery warrior? And why was Sesshoumaru so secretive about it? The only way to find out would be to ask the hayou, wherever the bastard went.

"A demon of his age, yes."

"Inuyasha, do you know any?" asked Shippo.

"None come to mind," he said angrily. Kagome looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"Then it appears we'll have to enlist his help, despite our feelings towards it," said Miroku. His words echoed in the minds of the others, the room silent and ominous. No one really wanted to involve the demon, simply because they could never really be sure of what side he was really on. However from what he was saying, it was doubtful they could do it alone. If only they knew who had helped him, then it would be easy to bypass the uneasy task of trying to get help from the hayou.

Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he was suddenly very alert. He shot to his feet, stepping outside, concentrating. It was faint, almost like it was trying to be hidden, but it was there, no doubt about it. It felt similar to when he left Kagome's temple. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. There really were demons there, and they found the well. This was not a coincidence with what was happening, someone was trying to find something, maybe Kagome. Multiple someone's, and demons at that. Demons that had gone to the other side without using the well. Powerful demons, demons that he would probably need help fighting.

"What is it Inu?" asked Kagome, joining him at his side.

"Some very powerful demons crossed over from the well," he spoke carefully, trying to pin point where they had gone.

"There were demons from Kagome's time?" asked Sango.

"Maybe. It's power I can't get yet. They're masking it."

"Probably best we follow them," suggested Miroku.

"I can try to track them, but they're long gone now. One thing's for sure, if they were after Kagome like I had thought then they would have been here by now."

"Or maybe they are here, and we just can't see them. If you say they can mask their power, then we're blind."

Inuyasha growled, not liking this one bit, "Everyone stay on guard. Once nightfall hits we'll go find my stupid brother and end this once and for all."

...

Sesshoumaru came to the edge of the forest he used to dwell in. Centuries had passed since he lived here, he deliberately avoided it since the very last time he was in here. His golden eyes hardening, he walked inside the tree cover. He could instantly tell that everything was as he left it. He could smell corpses rotting from idiots trying to defy the sanctity of this place, but he was indifferent to all of that. With the moon's glow guiding his footsteps, he walked towards the edge of the cliff line, stopping in a very familiar and specific spot. There was no evidence that anyone had been there in years, the overgrow on the forest floor a clear indication of that.

The memories washed over him, reminding him of all the feelings transpired and thought to be gone. But they were fresh as if it had all happened merely an hour ago. He wasn't going to bring her back into this, he would keep her identity a secret. Besides, it was rumoured that she wasn't even in this world anymore, that she had perished decades ago. He wasn't one to believe in rumours, but he would cling to this one if it meant that he didn't have to see her again. He was much more powerful now than last time, he was sure he wouldn't need her help again.

As he left that spot, her image forced itself upon his mind. Despite how much he hated it, there was always a small portion of him that thought of her, that kept him awake once in a while in speculation of her fate. But that was so long ago, there was no need to go poking around in the past. He defeated that enemy once, he could easily do so again. Perhaps his half demon brother would prove more useful, the sword at his side a very powerful weapon. Once he was out of the forest, he summoned his cloud, having it gently lift him into the night sky. An ominous wind blew, and with it brought a very sweet and powerful scent among it. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking in the direction it was coming from. He frowned slightly, though he was starting to get lightheaded as another fresh whiff caught in his nostrils. There was no doubt about it this time, it was certain. Still, he couldn't believe it, Moriko Chie had returned to this part of the world.

But what was she doing here? This was no longer a coincidence. Her return at this moment just ensured the fate he had predicted for himself. Wherever she was, she must have sensed the return. This only meant he had to speed up his quest to seal the evil. He was not going to involve her, whether she was here or not. He couldn't look upon those tawny eyes, not again. His face set, he knew that the best and quickest way to seal the evil that was released would be to enlist the miko and find all the jewel shards. The fact that the jewel had shattered, the seal on the evil was broken and Moriko had returned were not just a coincidence. He knew better than to simply find his foe, that would surely guarantee his death. No, he had to work with his half human brother. Use the miko to find the shards, and then kill the evil beast once and for all. And he had to do it quick, or else his path would cross once more with Moriko.

...

"Inuyasha, how do you know you can find him?" asked Kagome, yawning for umpteenth time. She wasn't quite sure they had to search for him at night.

"'Cause he likes to sneak around. Best time to do that is at night," replied Inuyasha, annoyed. He didn't like the idea of being near his full demon brother at any time ever. But it appeared they wouldn't have a choice in the matter.

"It would be best to keep our eyes to the sky. He travels frequently on his cloud," said Miroku, hoping to ease some of the tension.

"There is no need, Monk, I am here," Sesshoumaru spoke, coming to land in front of them gently.

Inuyasha growled, "How convenient," he said dryly, "Okay Sesshoumaru, no more games! Tell us what you know and what to do about it!"

Sesshoumaru's expression of intensity did not change as his younger half brother yelled at him. He could still smell _her, _which was a huge distraction in the back of my mind. He couldn't pinpoint the exact location, she was hiding herself, and she was with others. But that was of no matter.

"We have no time for talk, only action. Find Naraku, we find the source of the disturbance," said the full demon.

"You won't have much luck finding Naraku until he reveals himself," said Myoga. The flea was perched on Inuyasha's shoulder, surprising all of them with his appearance.

"Myoga!" exclaimed Kagome.

"I came as soon as I heard that Naraku walked in the world of the living once more. He's already causing devastation throughout the land."

"But he's not working alone," said Miroku.

"That's right. Inuyasha said that there were two other scents he didn't recognize along with Naraku's in Midoriko's cave," said Sango.

"One of which, Sesshoumaru has battled before."

"And the bastard won't tell us anything!" said Inuyasha.

"There's nothing to tell. We find the shards of your jewel which lead us to Naraku and the source of this evil," said Sesshoumaru coldly.

Inuyasha growled while the others flinched visibly at the intensity of the full demon's voice. Kagome saw something, something she couldn't quite pinpoint. It was the same thing she saw when they had spoken before. He was angry, that was for sure, but there was something else. What was it? What was he hiding? He appeared to feel very strongly about it. Perhaps it was admitting that he was almost defeated, wounding his own pride. What else could it be? She sighed, continuing to try and study him for any more information she could get out of him.

"Sesshoumaru is right," said Miroku, "Naraku specifically came back for the jewel, which means that because it is shattered he will be searching for the shards. We should be doing the same and beat him to the punch.

Inuyasha wasn't happy about that answer, but he turned his back and started leading them away from the area. The rest of the party followed, except for demon lord. He looked up into the moon, vaguely wondering where _she _was. He was hoping that his journey here with these people wouldn't lead him anywhere near _her. _He tore his golden gaze away from the moon, proceeding forward, guided by the miko towards what he was hoping was a jewel shard. But then he stopped. He would need to locate Jaken and Rin, to ensure that the two of them would not be used against him in battle. He summoned his cloud then, taking off unnoticed into the night.

...

"WHERE DID THAT BASTARD GO!?" demanded Inuyasha. The party had been walking for a while, but had just noticed Sesshoumaru's absence. It was strange since it was his idea to start looking for jewel shards. But ever since this whole situation was spilled on their lap, even the demon lord was acting more odd than he usually was. His direct involvement with the demon of his past made it so. But they had never seen them like this. Come to think of it they had never seen him show any kind of emotion besides annoyance and indifference.

"He seems to have his own agenda," said Miroku.

"Sesshoumaru will be back," said Myoga.

"What are you doing here anyway, Myoga?" asked Inuyasha in annoyance.

"I had heard that Naraku was back from the grave and immediately sought you out to assist you Lord Inuyasha."

"You know there's danger on this road right?"

"But of course! I will serve as your guide."

"Until the going gets tough," said Kagome dryly to Sango. But then Kagome blinked, "There's a jewel shard nearby."

"Which way wench?" asked Inuyasha, looking happy to spring to action.

"This way!" she shouted, running South.

The others followed her, not wanting her to run straight into danger. She ran into a forest nearby, Inuyasha easily catching up with her. She hopped on his back and directed him forward. The hanyo narrowed his eyes, sensing the demon energy not too far away. He caught a scent, but did not recognize it. It wasn't those demons that came through the well, so at least he wouldn't have to worry about that kind of power. Finally, they saw the demon they were looking for, stopping just before they were visible. Inuyasha growled, the stench of this demon very vulgar indeed.

Before them was a small yokai, with very pale skin. He was short, old looking, with long grey hair and very evil eyes. But what made him stop was seeing his arm extended and piercing a very ugly ogre looking demon. They watched as this ugly demon died instantly, and lost a jewel shard.

"That's three shards," said Kagome quietly.

Inuyasha growled, letting Kagome down and holding onto his sword. The others were mostly in awe of the strange human looking demon that killed in such cold blood. But not the dog demon, he knew this stench.

"Who are you?!" Miroku demanded.

"Who cares, he was one of the demons in the cave. Just tell me where Naraku is," said Inuyasha, narrowing his eyes.

The demon before them just laughed, a sickly laugh, one of only pure evil. It make Kagome shudder, which did not go unnoticed by Inuyasha. The tension was thick, as the rest of them were waiting, ready to make a move towards their weapons. They've already seen what can be done, and it would be hard to counter without a warning. The demon just stared at them with that evil grin, the jewel shards shining, almost as if they were taunting them.

"Why have you destroyed the shikon jewel?!" asked Kagome, her body shaking with rage.

"Destroying it was never the plan. I just wanted to take it to get some attention," said the demon.

"Give me back the shards!"

The demon laughed, "Sure, you can have them," and he extended his fingers, three of them with three shards piercing Kagome's right arm.

"Kagome!" yelled Inuyasha as the human girl screamed in agony. Inuyasha unsheathed his sword, chopping off connection. All the while the demon laughed as Inuyahsa's vision filled with rage at the smell of Kagome's blood, "Wind scar!" he yelled. The blade at his hand expelled the devastating wind scar attack, making a direct hit with the demon before them. When the smoke cleared they gasped, seeing there were three of the same demon, yet none of them were substantial.

They heard that sickly laughter yet again, "So that's the wind scar. I must say it's nothing like I've ever seen before. Too bad it's as useless as every other attack you can come up with," they watched in horror as the three fake demons deflated and then returned to their master, making evident that Inuyasha's attack was barely a scratch among the surface.

"Impossible!" yelled Sango, her eyes wild with disbelief.

"I am Toguro," he laughed, "I will be the last thing you see before your death," he laughed violently, as he once again extended his arms towards Kagome, retrieving the shards he placed there and then taking off with Naraku's demon insects. The faint laughter was all they had heard in the distance as they watched him disappeared.

Inuyasha was shaking, his anger overcoming him. He was about to follow when he caught a fresh whiff of Kagome's blood. Putting a lid on his rage, he sheathed his sword and came to look at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, lifting her arm gingerly towards him.

"I'll be fine, it doesn't hurt that much. I was just shocked more than anything," she replied, trying to give him an assuring smile.

He helped her take her bag off of her back so she could rummage through it, looking for her first aid kit.

"So that was one of the three demons in the cave?" asked Sango.

"Yeah. I'd recognize that rotten stench anywhere."

"So Toguro, Naraku and a mysterious third demon that Sesshomaru has faced before. They storm the cave, shattering the barrier, the stalagmite and the jewel," mused Miroku.

"The combination of evil must have forced the jewel to shatter once they broke the barrier. He said that the jewel was never meant to be shattered," said Kagome.

"That's right, but the jewel would refuse all that evil since its been purified," Sango agreed.

"Keh. Who cares? Let's just find those jokers and put an end to them," said Inuyasha, as he kept his gaze upon Kagome. Sango was helping her apply bandages now.

"Have you been able to pinpoint the scent now that you've come face to face with Toguro?" asked Miroku.

Inuyasha shook his head, "No, they're hiding it. They don't want to be found right now."

"If they're looking for jewel shards then it seems they want to do it quietly. That isn't much like Naraku's style," said Miroku.

"From the sounds of things, I don't think Naraku is calling the shots. It must be the demon Sesshomaru faced in charge. The power he spoke of was much more than anything he had encountered before," said Sango.

"Had Sesshomaru had the chance to fight Naraku one on one I'm sure he would have won. But Naraku resorts to dirty tricks to win, and knew he had to in order to defeat not only Sesshomaru but Inuyasha," said Myoga.

"So we can guarantee that Naraku will be out to get revenge on us, and he'll be resorting to his usual tricks," said Miroku.

"Let him. I'll kill every last one of them," said Inuyasha, the demon in him shining brightly despite not being in true demon form. The same ominous win blew, making his words echo into the wind.

...

thanks so much! i'll try and get these out as much as i can!


	10. Return to Makai

The fresh smell of rotting flesh filled San's nostrils as she set foot onto the grass beneath her under the Makai sun. But the smell wasn't as strong over here as it usually was, seeing as this was the part of the demon world that most of the humans had chosen to make camp. It was the first time she had been near this well, and she had traveled all over this side of Makai for quite a few years. The humans had multiplied since then, and San was amazed that they were even still alive. She looked over at her pack, noting that Keiko's eyes were a little wild. This was a lot for someone to take in, and the wolf would have to keep a close eye on the half breed. With this threat upon them, she was still the weak link.

"This doesn't look much like the demon world," stated Yusuke, having a look around.

"There aren't many demons here, more humans," said San.

"You've been here before I take it," said Kurama.

"Once, a very long time ago."

"That doesn't matter right now. Let's go find this cave and that Kagome girl," said Genkai.

The team nodded, San heading in the direction she faintly remembered. Luckily, they got a very good description of the place from the miko's grandfather at his shrine. His old scrolls really paid off, something San was very thankful for. The wind blew, and it brought to her attention something she couldn't believe she missed when she first got here. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking at her mate with hatred. He matched her look, confirming her suspicions.

"You smell it then," she stated.

"Yes," Kurama nodded.

"What?" asked Kuwabara.

"Toguro," said San simply.

"What?!" yelled Yusuke.

"Toguro?!" Kuwabara followed.

"You killed him!" Yusuke pointed at Kurama.

Kurama looked at the detective, his eyes focused, "No. I merely imprisoned him. But he could not die while he possessed Gourmet's body."

"Then how is he free?" asked Kuwabara.

"We'll be sure to ask him that before we kill him for good," said San.

"If he was freed then that means there's someone else calling the shots. An enemy much more powerful than we have encountered before. We have to go about this smart, just like we did with Sensui," said Genkai.

Her words echoed as they continued their journey towards the village of demon slayers.

...

They reached the village by sunset, San using the last of her virtruly scent to cover up their tracks. The magical roses would make anyone forget what they were doing once they smelled it, which was what they needed when dealing with Toguro. The wolf could smell the same scent of the demon and the miko that were at Higurashi shrine, though it was faint. They had been here recently, but that's not what San was looking for. She waited for the others to catch up, seeing as she was scouting ahead like usual. The village itself of course, was a ghost town. She had known this before she had come, knowing that a demon named Naraku had killed all of the slayers here. It was a tragic story, one that Keiko in particular was very upset about. She followed the very, very faint scent of Toguro and the fresher scents of the party she would be looking for next. Toguro, however, wasn't alone. There were two scents with him, though faint, she knew one of them at least.

She let out a breath, the memories washing over her. It was impossible, there was no way this.. thing was out of containment. She had to be sure, maybe she was wrong. The scent wasn't all that strong, perhaps being in this part of Makai was messing with her mind. She would wait until the others got here before she would mention it to the them. Her tawny eyes hardened, remembering all the pain she enduring sealing that evil, how it nearly cost their lives. It was the hardest battle she had ever fought, but she was sure that it was over with. So many years ago, it just couldn't be.

San approached the cave, where the resonating power of the shikon jewel was. Cave, of course, was an understatement, seeing as there was no way in. With the entrance blocked off there would be no way to gain any clues. They would have to clear the rubble, and even then, what would they find? She sighed, beginning to charge her dark power. She exploded the rubble in front of her, just as the others were showing up.

"We are being followed," her mate told her.

San nodded, "Let them. When we want to find them we'll steal one of those bugs and trace it back to its owner."

"The demon bugs are just proof that Toguro is not acting alone," said Genkai.

"What happened here?" asked Botan.

"Cave in. My guess is whoever shattered the jewel was trying to send a message to the miko. They were here, shortly after the jewel shattered I'm sure," replied San.

"Are we going to get in there?" asked Kuwabara.

"That depends on if the whole thing is caved in or just the entrance. But I don't think it will be that easy."

Kurama walked up to the rubble. He held a hand up, a vine growing, exploring through the rocks. They were still for a few moments, watching him. Finally, he retracted his probing vine and turned to look at them, shaking his head.

"It's totally destroyed inside. I'm assuming that whoever did this set it as a trap for the miko to try and destroy her," said Kurama.

"Or like San said, leave her a nasty message," said Genkai.

San nodded, taking one last look at the rubble. She looked up with a hard tawny gaze at the demon insects that hovered above them. Everyone else followed suit. Toguro was not behind this, but he was merely a pawn. Whoever these demon insect belonged to San was sure a pawn. That same wind blew, and there was no denying it now. The evil she had fought so hard to seal centuries ago, was once again walking upon the Makai. Her mind drifted towards her companion at the time, wondering if he knew, if he was even still alive. Her past was coming back to haunt her, and try though she might, there was no way to stop it.

...

"I've got the scent of that Kagome girl, the one identified as the miko. She's with three demons and two humans. I imagine they are going to try and find the shikon jewel," said San, as they sat around the fire they built. The moon had risen high, and was beginning its new cycle. San would not sleep tonight, that much she knew. Neither would her mate, and perhaps even Genkai.

"How long do you think it will take to track them?" asked Kurama.

"That depends on if they come after our jewel shards or not. We can sense the resonating power of one in the Ningenkai, but not here," replied San, "To be honest, it'd be faster if I could go by myself."

"You're not going alone."

"Kurama is right, as long as those demon insects are watching we stick together until we know what the threat it. We also don't know where Toguro is, but can be sure he'll come after us for revenge. Every one of us has done him wrong, no one is safe with him out there," said Genkai.

"That is the only reason I'm still here," said San.

"How many times do we have to kill this guy?" asked Kuwabara.

"Once would suffice I'm sure," replied San dryly.

"HEY!"

"What's more interesting is that he hasn't come to Ningekai looking for any of you," said Botan.

"Wow Botan, you sound like a real detective," said Keiko smiling.

"You think? I did spend all that time as a spy!"

"And all that work you did with Yusuke."

Botan laughed, "I forgot about all of that. It's almost like old times right now."

"Yeah, we just need the multi eyed shrimp," said Kuwabara.

"Sounds almost like you miss him, Kuwabara," said Yusuke.

"No way he's a jerk!"

"A jerk who is late to the party," said San.

"Yes. I suspect he'll be along soon. Even he can't ignore the threat Toguro poses," Kurama agreed.

They were all silent, as the wind blew slightly. San caught the eye of her mate, and he nodded at her. She took off to scout the area, and she was sure her mate didn't smell the scent she had caught. She jumped to the highest point of a tree at random, as the wind blew once more. She felt light headed, confirming that what she was smelling. Was he sending her a message? He wasn't anywhere near her, and she wondered if he knew that she was back in this area of Makai. Or if he even cared. She would have to face him at some point though, and she had no idea what to expect after last time.

"Sesshomaru..." she whispered into the wind, vacating her post.

...

"The demon insects are still on our tail," said Genkai.

"That simply means we're going the direction they want. They're leading us somewhere, hopefully to their master so we can get to the bottom of this sooner," said San.

"Don't get cocky just yet, San."

"Me? Never."

They kept up their pace, San catching the fresh scent of one of the demons that were in the cave, where all this trouble started. So, he could mask his scent well, and revealing it only meant that they were indeed walking into his trap. Good, she wanted to know what idiot had freed Toguro and why. Where that demon was left wasn't exactly advertised, nor was there really any reason for anyone to break him free of his prison. The Tree of Depravity wasn't something you could just detach, not without amazing skill. The signs were pointing straight to that same evil she fought years ago, but until she either saw real evidence she would not believe it. She couldn't.

San could feel a change in the air, just as she was sure the others did. The demon insects were gone, which mean that they were in the exact place their enemy was leading them. San followed the scent, keeping her guard up. She wouldn't let anything surprise her. They came into a field, staying near the trees, assessing what was around them.

"What do you think?" asked Kurama, looking over at his mate.

"Whoever led us here knows exactly where we are. We might as well spring their trap," replied San.

"Agreed. Whatever Toguro had told this demon about us, we've all evolved since then," said Genkai.

"And let's not forget that two of us are now half breeds. That knowledge wouldn't yet be known to Toguro, and I think we should keep that hidden as long as possible," said Kurama. His green orbs were hard, focused, as he scanned around for any sort of movement, "This demon was hiding its scent until recently, which means that if we do not defeat it here and now, we may never get the chance to find it again."

"Then why are we still standing here?" asked Yusuke dryly, starting towards the field and out of the cover of the forest. The others followed him, knowing that speculating the situation would do nothing more.

A dark and ominous wind blew, and any fool could feel the evil within it. A sinister laugh echoed with it, causing the fox and the wolf to box the others in, Yusuke and Kuwabara completing the circle with Genkai, Botan and Keiko in the middle. The wind got heavier, and San could smell blood in the air. It was because webs were appearing around them, leaving tiny scratches on the outside circle that mostly healed up in an instant. The laughter got louder, and San noted they were surrounded by this razor sharp webbing. But she stayed focused, as did the rest of them, waiting for the demon to show himself.

Finally getting impatient, she summoned her demon vine, double bladed lance, just as Kurama unleashed his rose whip lash to destroy the barrier around them. The wind stopped then, leaving a shadowed figure in front of Kurama. they turned to look, knowing that this was their attacker. It wasn't Toguro, it was a different demon. But he wasn't a full demon, no, San caught the faint scent of a human on him.

"Who are you?" asked Kuwabara.

"Who am I?" the demon laughed his sinister laugh, taking off the hood of his dark cloak. His eyes were an evil red, pale skin with long black hair, "I, filthy human, am Naraku."

"Naraku huh? Word is, you're supposed to be dead," said Yusuke.

Naraku laughed again, "I'm very much alive, and intrigued that you would so willingly walk into my trap."

"Never mind that, Naraku. Tell us where Toguro is and who you're working for. I'll kill you quickly as reward," said San, her tawny eyes hardening.

"Ah, the demon wolf, I was wondering which one of you it was. Is it true you harness both dark and light powers? I could use that kind of power."

"I don't know how you'll be using any kind of power when you're dead," said Kurama darkly. No one threatened his mate.

Naraku laughed once more, "Youko Kurama the spirit fox reduced to that of a mere human. I think this conversation is getting a bit boring. I'll just kill you all now and get it over with," and with that he spread a cloud of purple miasma.

"It's poison!" yelled San,

Botan immediately put a barrier around them, but San stepped out.

"San what are you doing?" asked Kurama.

"I'm immune to poison," she assured him, running into the cloud.

"That's exactly what he wants!"

"What do we do now guys?" asked Kuwabara.

"Keiko, can you create a wind to send the poison away?" asked Kurama.

"That won't work. This kind of demon energy needs human reiki purification. I'm no priestess, but I do have reiki that can take care of it," said Genkai.

She put her hands together and began to chant in another language. Finally, she opened her eyes and unleashed her spirit power. The miasma disappeared, and Botan dropped her barrier. San was engaging Naraku in a fight, using her powers of darkness against him. They ran towards the fight, Yusuke unleashing his spirit gun, while Kuwabara summoned his sword. Kurama wielded his rose whip, but try though they might, they could not even lay a scratch on this demon. He was quick, cunning, cut throat and stalling.

San managed to knock Naraku into Kurama's waiting rose whip and Yusuke finally fired one of his spirit guns. It was a direct hit, a blast that once would have crippled the young detective, but it wasn't enough. Their enemy wasn't even in the blast radius, he had escaped by breaking the whip. San growled as the demon insects started attacking, distracting them while Naraku was about to make his escape.

"NARAKU!" screamed a new voice.

San expelled a dark blast, destroying the insects and looking at this new comer. She saw as a demon wearing a red kimono and silver hair with dog ears came at Naraku with a giant sword. She gasped, not quite sure how this demon wielded that sword. She was sure she knew exactly which one it was. But that wasn't important right now. The sword missed its target and Naraku stretched his and out toward San. She dodged easily, keeping her sense sharp.

"Inuyasha, that human girl he's attacking has the jewel shards!" yelled a new voice, a young human girl running towards them.

"I don't care about he jewel shards, I'm going to kill this asshole once and for all!" yelled the demon called Inuyasha.

"Get in line!" yelled Yusuke, "Spirit gun!"

Naraku laughed, but he wasn't expecting Kuwabara to bat him with his sword straight into Yusuke's shot.

"Wind scar!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Tier of Darkness!" San sent her attack as well.

The combination of all those attacks created a giant explosion, causing a giant smoke cloud to block their vision. San shielded her eyes, waiting for it to clear so she could look upon her enemy once more. She was extremely unhappy about the interference from these people, but she was somehow sure these were the people she was looking for. When the smoke finally cleared, Naraku was on the ground, not moving. San narrowed her tawny eyes, knowing that he wasn't dead. It wasn't that easy.

"San!" she heard her mate. She saw it just in time, another attempt to steal the jewel shards from her person. She dodged him, but he managed to cut her abdomen slightly.

"Meido Zangetsuha!" shouted Inuyasha.

It was to no avail, Naraku disappeared, and with him, his scent, straight into the sky. San looked after him with hard tawny eyes, hating that she let him escape. She looked over at the new arrivals, taking in what she was seeing.

"You let him escape!" yelled the dog demon, pointing a finger at them.

"Us?! We had everything under control until you showed up!" Yusuke screamed back.

"Yeah! Who do you think you are with that fancy sword!" Kuwabara threw in there.

"Never mind that! Hand over those jewel shards!" demanded Inuyasha.

"No," said San simply.

"I'm not going to ask again nicely. Hand 'em over or I'll just have to take them from you."

"No."

Inuyasha growled.

"I don't know you. I'm not handing these over to the wrong demons," said San.

Inuyasha's growls got deeper, "Fine! Wind Scar!" he unleashed his attack upon the wolf.

"San!" yelled Kurama.

"STAY BACK!" she commanded.

Everyone was froze in place anyway. She watched as the devastating attack approached her, and went straight over her head, a barrier erecting around her, protecting her. Inuyasha gasped, his golden eyes going wide in disbelief. He looked at his sword, which had reverted back to a rusty old blade.

"The sheath protected her," said a human man that was observing with the young girl who identified the demon.

"But why would it do that?" asked another human girl, one that looked like a demon slayer.

"Because, that sword, the Tetsusaiga, will not harm anyone that once commanded it," said San


	11. Real Answers

Inuyasha's growls got deeper, "Fine! Wind Scar!" he unleashed his attack upon the wolf.

"San!" yelled Kurama.

"STAY BACK!" she commanded.

Everyone was frozen in place anyway. She watched as the devastating attack approached her, and went straight over her head, a barrier erecting around her, protecting her. Inuyasha gasped, his golden eyes going wide in disbelief. He looked at his sword, which had reverted back to a rusty old blade.

"The sheath protected her," said a human man that was observing with the young girl who identified the demon.

"But why would it do that?" asked another human girl, one that looked like a demon slayer.

"Because, that sword, the Tetsusaiga, will not harm anyone that once commanded it," said San

Inuyasha's party gasped, as did Yusuke's, all except Genkai. San sometimes wondered if anything surprised the old woman anymore. One thing was for sure, she could feel her mate's curious eyes upon her. She supposed it would be story time soon, as anyone who knew of Tetsusaiga would come to wonder how a mere wolf demon of another clan far away came to wield such a legend. What San wanted to know was what this half breed was doing with that sword. It belonged to a legend, and was supposed to be passed down to his son. She narrowed her tawny eyes, curious.

"What do you mean you once commanded it?!" shouted Inuyasha in disbelief.

"That doesn't matter, why don't you tell me why you have it and not Inu No Taisho's son?" San spat.

"I am his son!"

San blinked, "You're his son? Surely not the demon that was out training for power for centuries in order to surpass your father? But that human girl called you Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled, "I'm not Sesshomaru! I'm his other son!"

"His other..." San trailed. She took a closer look at him, noting some of the similarities. His temper was definitely a human trait, she was all too familiar with the kind having dealt with Yusuke for so many years. But he wielded Tetsusaiga, and San knew that Inu No Taisho didn't fully trust Sesshomaru with the sword, as he told her all those years ago. It all clicked together now, a half human offspring, and once she played out the events in her mind, she began to laugh, "I don't even know why I'm so surprised he would have a half human son," she managed to get out between her giggles.

"It ain't funny!"

"It's a little funny, Inuyasha, knowing your father."

"I didn't know him," he humphed, crossing his arms and turning his back towards her.

San stopped, "Oh dear. I'm very sorry to hear that, you must have been born about the time he was killed..."

"So what? I don't need him."

San sighed, "No I suppose not," she then slapped her neck, crushing the parasite that was sucking her blood, "Do you need Myoga? I told him last time he tried to drain me dry that I would kill him," she raised a brow, holding out her hand towards them.

"But your human blood is so much sweeter than the demon," the little flea groaned.

"Myoga! Where did you get off to?" asked the tiny fox demon sitting atop a human girls shoulders.

"I'm sure he arrived just in time for the danger to be over," said San dryly.

"Look, as interesting as this conversation is, we're too exposed here. We don't know how long before those demon insects get back and we've got blood all over the place. San, get out your virtruly and we'll retract back into the forest to have a much needed discussion," said Genkai annoyed, beginning to walk towards the forest.

"Hey I don't take orders from you old lady!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha! Stop being stubborn and let's get going," the girl called Kagome called out to the half breed, as they left him in the dust.

...

Deep into the forest they found a clearing, one big enough for the party. San had scouted the perimeter, laying virtruly roses wherever she went in order to keep them safe. A fire was started, and food was prepared. When the wolf demon finally sat down, she tended to her wound that was left behind by Naraku. It was a strange demon curse, that was for sure, but she was confident it would heal up in a few days. It didn't cause her any pain, and her immunity to poison made things far easier for her. She watched as the others in the party were eating a well deserved meal. San and her mate did not eat, seeing as they were too focused to bother with it at the moment. She also noted that Inuyasha wasn't eating, just sitting against a tree with this sword sheathed and under his arm, the handle sticking up in the air. When everyone had for the most part stuffed themselves full of food, they sat in a very awkward silence.

"So just how did you know my father so well he let you use this sword?" asked Inuyasha. San supposed it was the nicest way he could ask a question.

"You must be an ally if some sort of Myoga was brave enough to drink your blood," said Kagome.

San nodded, "A very long time ago, your father traveled far towards my realm. While I may have the appearance of a human, I am in fact a full demon, called Moriko Chie. Before the incident that had that led me to Ningenkai, I was the General of the army of the Wolf Clan. My past war experience seemed to get quite the amount of attention to make the great dog demon travel so far just to see me. He needed my help, my expertise in planning a defense then attack against the Panther demons that threatened this realm."

"The panthers?" asked the demon slayer.

"That's right. My master had heard plenty of Moriko's conquests and went to get her to help him fight the war," said Myoga.

"Yes. It was during that war that I spoke to Taisho about his three swords, and he told me about his son, Sesshomaru. That is why I was confused about you having it, You were not even thought of then. Though I suspect he was a bit of a seer, he seemed to know an awful lot about his future than most would. But anyway, it was sometime before the final battle started that he gave me Tetsusaiga to lead his army into battle. Without it, I would have surely died. The sword and I connected, moved and thought as one. I'm sure that is the reason it would not do me any harm."

"So Tetsusaiga used to be able to be commanded by a full demon," said the monk.

"Taisho was full demon so I would assume so, yes."

"He must have changed it so that Sesshomaru couldn't get his hands on it."

"He did mention that his son did not have the inner workings to use it to its full potential. Makes sense that a half demon would be able to."

"Hmph. So the old man knew that Sesshomaru couldn't handle it," said Inuyasha.

"That is besides the point. You have not, Moriko, explained what you and your companions are doing here, and why you were fighting with Naraku."

"And why you have pieces of the shikon jewel," said Kagome.

"You're Kagome Higurashi?" asked San.

"Y-yeah?"

San threw the jewel shards at the girl, "Here. We were going to look for you anyway."

"I knew it, you're the demons that came out of the well!" shouted Inuyasha.

"Yes, we are. Those shards were found in Ningenkai. One of them was purposefully put with evil intentions into our friend Keiko. She was forced to come and attack my home. I found two more shards when I followed her trail back to the gate in Mushiori City. It led us to another trap and two more jewel shards. Once Koenma in Reikai told us about the miko that can purify them we set off to your temple. But your grandfather said you were here trying to gather the shards, so we followed you, but had to check in at the slayers village. It's very rare that demons can shatter something so violently that it scatters in both worlds," explained Kurama.

"You said Ningenkai, that is the world of the living. But this world is the world of the living," said the monk.

"Yeah and Mushiori City is back in my time, future Japan," said Kagome.

"What did you just say? Future Japan? This is the Makai, where do you think you are?" asked San.

"Makai? No this is feudal Japan, hundreds of years into the past."

San laughed then, "You silly girl, this is Makai, the world of demons, hell as some of you would put it. Do you really think that if Japan was over run by demons that there wouldn't be any in your world? Hm? Humans and demons cannot coincide together, mostly because humans are brutes that try to control other demons for their own whims."

"But..." Kagome trailed, "I... Makai?"

"Yes. Makai, I should know it, I was born here thousands of years ago."

"But if this world is Makai, as you say it, then why are humans like myself and Sango here?" asked the monk.

"Thousands of years ago, humans migrated to the Makai when they could no longer handle the woes of their own world. Humans and demons mostly lived in peace, thus a barrier was never formed between the worlds. But King Enma of Reikai managed to erect a kakai to keep out some of the more powerful demons, and as such the humans migrated so far away from the barrier that they stayed here. Of course the advance in technology didn't reach here as demons appear to slow down the human progress, but it is of no matter. This part of Makai is the most peaceful, which is why there are more humans here than anywhere else," said Kurama.

Inuyasha's group was silent, taking in all the information given to them. San gave them the time that they needed, knowing what it was like to have your whole world taken away and blown up. She didn't know exactly how close these companions were, but even the humans here wouldn't exactly know about this place being the Makai. It definitely explained the demon slayer anyway. Still, she observed them, trying to figure out how to work with them. They would be working together, that much was true and they all knew it.

"Welcome to the world of demons," said Keiko brightly, putting a hand on Kagome's shoulder, "I'm Keiko Yukimura, from the same world you are."

"Kagome Higurashi," the miko smiled.

"I'm Sango, a demon slayer," said the girl, her giant bone boomerang behind her on a tree.

"Miroku," the monk nodded at them.

"I'm Shippo, and this is Kirara," the child fox demon smiled, pointing to the small two tailed cat.

"You're awfully young to be traveling around into dangerous waters," said San.

"My parents are gone," he said, looking down at his toes.

"It's rare any demon knows their parents, young one," San murmured.

"My name is Botan, I'm the pilot of the river styx and sometimes I'm a spy," Botan grinned widely.

"Yusuke Urameshi, I'm also a half demon."

"Name's Kazuma Kuwabara."

"In Ningenkai and to my human family I am known as Shuuichi. Here, however the demon counterpart is Youko Kurama."

"Youko Kurama? The Legendary Bandit?" asked Myoga.

"The very same," Kurama sighed.

"The rumours were that you had died with your mate."

"I intend to keep them that way, makes it easier to travel around when people don't know who you are," said San, "This is Genkai, it is at her temple in Ningenkai that I and many other half breeds and full demons take refuge. This tiny flea is one of Inu No Taisho's vassals, Myoga. Since we all seem to be tied into this mess, I think its best we work together. You seem to know of this demon, Naraku. You also sprang the trap at the cave where the jewel was held. Care to tell us what you found there? We couldn't exactly get in."

"We found out that Naraku was in the cave, as well as two other demons, one we know as Toguro and the other we haven't identified yet," said Kagome.

"You know Toguro?" Kurama raised a brow.

"We had a brief encounter with him not too long before Inuyasha caught wind of Naraku's scent. He took Kagome's jewel shards and then ran off. He's working for someone, that much we did gather," said Miroku.

"What did he look like?" asked San.

"Like a tiny, ugly, old human with demon eyes. He could stretch out his body."

"So that confirms it then, Toguro was separated from Gourmet's body. That was how he was able to be freed of the prison I put him in," Kurama mused.

"You've had encounters with that demon before then?"

"Yes. He's not exactly easy to kill. He can move any part of his body like liquid. He can also move around his vitals, so hitting him and hurting is quite difficult. Maybe you can kill him since I can't count on my own apprentice to do it the first time," grumbled Genkai.

"Shut up old lady! You had plenty of opportunity when he was human!" yelled Yusuke.

"Yusuke!" Keiko glared over at him.

"Either way, children, since he's separated from Gourmet it means he's back to the way he was before the Dark Tournament, and killable," said San, "Please continue," she gestured over to the other party.

Kagome rummaged through her bag, pulling out the dead lump of a leech like demon and placed it in front of her, "We found this clue before the cave in."

San's tawny eyes hardened, seeing the confirmation she was hoping wasn't there. She did smell it, that damn evil demon that nearly killed her and her companion. How? How did it break free? There was no way it could have... Too many things clicked together in her mind now though.

"Funny, that's the same look Sesshomaru gave that dead thing," Inuyasha looked over with one eye open.

"Do you know what this is, San?" asked Kurama

"I know exactly what this is. Does Naraku have a history with Sesshomaru?" said San.

"Sesshomaru hates Naraku almost as much as he hates me," said Inuyasha.

"That explains a lot. What better way to get back at the demons who defeated you then by bringing back to life their greatest enemies. I can't believe this!"

"Wait a second! You're the one that saved Sesshomaru from dying against this thing?!"

"It was a two way street, we were both about to face death."

"How about you start from the beginning, San," said Genkai dryly.

"Yeah, if we can't get answers out of my bastard brother then we can at least get them from you," grumbled Inuyasha.

San drew in a large breath, her anger pulsing, to the point that she wasn't sure she could contain it anymore. Her tawny eyes were glued to that dead leech, her mind trying to grasp the fact that after all these years that... thing was roaming this world again. Her knuckles were white, blood dripping from her palms as her nails dug into them. She didn't even know where to start when it came to telling them the story. She held out her hand, sending a vine towards it. Everyone was intent on her, waiting for her to talk, even as they watched her actions. She covered the whole leech with vines, closing her palm. Finally, the vines exploded a small one, taking with it the leech with it and leaving nothing but a pile of ashes, which blew away in the wind.

"A very long time ago, I was roaming this part of Makai. This was many years after I fought the panther war here. I was banished from my clan and just trying to live with the freedom granted to me. I walked straight into Sesshomaru's woods, and he captured me. Instead of killing me, he forced me onto a journey I knew nothing about. Eventually our travels led to a place very secluded and covered in snow. It was at the top of a mountain, and we were hunting a sword that would hopefully gain Sesshomaru the ability to finally have enough power to defeat his father.

"But the information fed to us was false. It was a trap, we nearly froze to death springing it. What we encountered was an evil so sinister, something so powerful I don't think I've ever faced anything of its equal, even to this day. At this mountain peak, a demon named Kiyohime. She looks like a normal human, like Kagome, or Keiko. But her true demon form has made other die just by the fear they would feel at the sight of her. We never saw her true and full demon form, only part of it. And it nearly killed us. Kiyohime uses deathly accuracy, I'm not even completely sure about all of her powers. I know that my immunity built to poison is because of her though. I thought I caught a faint whiff of her stench near the cave, and I hoped that I was wrong."

"How did you defeat her, San?" asked Kurama, his steady gaze unblinking upon her.

"I... I managed to get in one last attack, and Sesshomaru joined his power with mine. It was the first time that had ever happened in my life, and we created a seal of all demonic energy inside a giant hole at the mountain top. As I said, we nearly died, but when we did come down from the mountain we took the necessary precautions with his father in order to make the seal permanent. Obviously, someone has broken through that. And it has to be someone that knows us both, but every action thus far has been to bring me back to this part of Makai, seeing as Sesshomaru won't be bothered."

"Why didn't you escape after he captured you?"

"Because eventually we fell in love. But it was short lived, sometime after we sealed Kiyohime he started to be distant and then threatened to kill me if I ever came back to this part of Makai."

"Stockholm syndrome," Kurama muttered darkly.

"No, not at all. I did not pity him whatsoever, I was actually very pissed off at myself for letting myself get captured. And what do you care anyway? I mate for life and since I'm with you that means I never did with him. Many would cry out your name in vain at the horrible mistreatment you bestowed upon them. Maybe you shouldn't be judging my dark past of one previous love interest without taking a look at yours. How many did you mark?"

"Enough San," Genkai put a stop to it, "So you spoke to your brother and he was unhelpful. We can definitely count on him being around, he can't ignore this as much as we can't."

Sango nodded, "Our best bet is to find the jewel shards as soon as possible."

"Naraku and Toguro will want revenge on all of us, but now we know that the primary targets are Sesshomaru and Moriko," said Miroku.

"I've heard a few things that Naraku has done, like killing a whole village of demon slayers in cold blood, and the curse of the wind tunnel. We can help each other," said Kurama.

Kagome nodded, "I think we can."

"We should probably return to Kaede's village tomorrow and start fresh from there," said Miroku.

"We've got a good team! See? Who needs Hiei," scoffed Kuwabara.

"You're the one that keeps bringing him up," said Botan laughing.

"Well what if I'm not okay with this?! Don't I get a say?!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha..." trailed Kagome, "Sit boy!"

Inuyasha was brought immediately to the ground by the beads on his neck. Keiko and Botan were there to look over at him, San walking over mildly curious. Genkai, surprisingly also made an appearance. They circled around, looking down at the demon that was forced to the ground and grumbling.

"Well that's a neat trick..." trailed Botan.

"Yes, Kagome, where can I get one of those?" asked Keiko.

"Very effective," San raised an eyebrow.

"Don't get any ideas!" shouted Yusuke nervously.

"Can I borrow them sometime?" asked Keiko darkly, glaring over at Yusuke.

Kurama laughed a little, while Kuwabara was pointing at his companion. The night progressed without much more activity, the humans in the party trying to get some sleep. San, however, kept up in the trees, waiting and searching for a sign of her old friend, and first love.


	12. Fate, a Cruel Mistress

Kaede's village was nothing all that extraordinary compared to others. But it was the home base, San came to understand. They traveled a full day and arrived by the evening. San looked at the old priestess, one eye missing. She didn't know what to think, but already her mind made her think of Genkai when she looked upon the old woman. The bone eaters well wasn't far from here, and San came to understand that the only reason they were able to cross the barrier it possessed was because of the shikon jewel shards. It explained why there weren't more demons over in Ningenkai. Kagome and the others filled in Kaede on what was going on, and explained that they were indeed in Makai. This of course, didn't come as much of a shock to a woman who lived her life along side demons.

"Have ye recovered more shards?" asked the old woman, as most of them sat around the fire in the middle of her house.

The demons of the party aside from Shippo and Kirara stayed aside the circle. San was on high alert since she learned that it was indeed Kiyohime coming after them. They would have to kill the beast, it was the only way. She wasn't even completely sure on how the seal was broken, but until she was sure they were safe, she wouldn't bother going on that goose chase as well.

"I lost my shards to the demon Toguro," said Kagome, looking at the floor, "But these people gave me theirs. There's more shards in my era, I mean, in Ningenkai."

"I see. And ye really are Genkai?"

"I am. You've heard of me I take it?" said Genkai sipping her tea.

"Tales of a young maiden with abnormal reiki have reached our realm, of course that was 50 years ago, when I was young myself."

Genkai nodded, "That would be about when I entered the Dark Tournament the first time."

"So, Kagome, you can sense where the shards are?" asked Botan.

"Yeah," she replied, looking at the blue haired woman.

"Kurama said something about being able to hear it," said Kuwabara.

"It's similar to a pulse, but now that the shards are purified I can no longer feel it," said Kurama.

"How come I can't feel it?" asked Inuyasha.

"Might be because you're a half breed," answered San. He growled, "Oh shut up. I'm surrounded by half breeds, do you really think I care all that much about your status?"

Inuyasha blinked at her words and then let the matter drop. The crackling of the fire was the only thing heard at this point, the day being late. The goal was to get some information from Kaede, but such was not the case. Kagome just had her whole world ripped apart, but she was focused much more than before. She was also a bit relieved to have others help her out with this task. They seemed to know a lot, and she didn't really like playing defense. After everything they had done, Naraku roamed free once more. She wasn't sure how much more pain and devastation they could take, they had lost so much already.

Kurama took a good look around the room, but his eyes fell again upon the young kistune. He couldn't help but pity the poor kid, but also, he felt as if he should know the child. Of course Shippo avoided his eyes. Kurama knew that he was probably scaring the child. But he just had to figure it out. This nagging feeling that it somehow involved his past. He supposed it would be best to wait until there was a better time to speak with him, sighing internally.

"There's nothing more we can do tonight, best to start fresh in the morning," the fox spoke softly, keeping his eyes on his mate as she left the house without a word.

...

Sesshomaru looked up into the moonlight, hearing a howl in the distance. He was lost in thought, smelling nothing but Moriko's virtruly roses all around him. He was immune to them, as he should be given their history.

"What is my Lord?" asked Rin, looking up at him.

He looked down at her and noticed that she had grown again. She still loyally followed him around, despite that she could go live as a human in the old woman's village. He didn't care, as long as she was safe, and that was why he had to return to them. He shook his head at her in response, continuing to walk through the meadow they were currently in. The moonlight made it easy for him to see where he was going, as he followed the virtruly closer and closer to the priestess' village.

The wind blew and it made him stop in his tracks. He looked up again at the moon, and was sure he could hear her faint whisper of his name. She was absently looking for him, that he was sure of. Fine, he knew he would have to face her. He wanted to, wanted to make sure she was real and not some illusion posed from Naraku or Kiyohime.

He took his left hand, and put it on the junction of where his neck joined with his shoulder on the right side. He closed his eyes and focused on that spot, and it began to glow. It wasn't very bright, but just enough for him to notice. He took his hand off, whispering her name into the blowing wind.

...

There was a spare house that was provided by the village people for Yusuke's party to sleep in. It was much like any other house, four walls, a ceiling and a fire place in the middle. Makai wasn't really all for the advances of human technology, but that suited San just fine. She was used to these kinds of conditions, and noted that the mostly human parts of her pack adjusted quite well. It had also been quite the eventful day.

She was woken up at some point in the night, by what she could swear was a glowing spot in her chest. Her tawny eyes opened up completely, and she turned her ears on to listen. No one else in the hut was awake, and her mate was not so close to her that he would feel her get up. But she knew that once she was too far away he would wake up, he was always aware of her movements, and she had no idea how. She slowly crept up, and exited the house. The moon was high, and oddly bright considering it wasn't even full. She heard the faint whisper of her name as a gentle breeze blew by her.

So he was calling her. He wanted to see her. Frowning slightly, she traveled to where he would be. She didn't even know how she knew which way to go, but she was very sure of her direction. Her mate would wake up anytime, and know that she was gone. He would know that she left to go find Sesshomaru, and he would not be happy about it. But he would understand exactly why she left, and would leave her to deal with it, so long as she wasn't gone too long. It was a tricky situation, and he was never really all that okay when he felt threatened.

San kept on her journey, into the woods near the village. She wasn't in a rush, as she followed Sesshomaru's scent. She could smell two more demons and a human in the same direction. Awfully strange of him to be traveling with a human, but that was probably something they could figure out after they had their much needed talk. She finally came to a clearing, seeing an all too familiar shadow in it. She approaching Sesshomaru, her human heart fluttering at the sight of him. Her mouth went dry, and she tried to control her breathing. Damn this frail human body so easily subject to emotion. One thing was for sure though, despite all the time apart they had spent, she still loved him.

"Sesshomaru," she spoke nearly out of breath.

"Can you really be Moriko? Or are you like that miko, a reincarnation?" he spoke in his emotionless tone, his golden eyes calculating.

San smiled, the wind blowing her sun touched human hair. It soon changed to tawny, as she transformed into her full demon self. Moriko opened her tawny eyes, looking once more upon Sesshomaru. Even if he wanted to kill her, they were once old friends. She was sure she could handle him anyway.

"So it's true. Moriko Chie has returned to this part of Makai," his voice was soft.

"Indeed. Have you come to kill me then?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, frowning slightly. The wind blew again, and she could see that he held two swords. Luckily for her, this whole forest was a weapon if she needed it. She was not going to go down without a fight, there was too much at stake.

"I'm not going to kill you yet. You know that Kiyohime is free."

"Yes, it is the only reason I have come back."

He nodded, turning his back on her and starting to walk away. She followed, catching up and walking beside him. They were silent, not even the sounds of their footsteps could be heard. She noted they were walking towards two demons and one human. She was very curious about that but wasn't going to bring it up just yet.

"I see you fulfilled your father's wishes and combined the swords," she stated.

"He gave me the ability to create my own sword by denying me what I really wanted. I now far surpass him in power, as do you."

"So you can see through my mask. Why am I not surprised?"

"You smell like Naraku."

"We had a small fight, he tried to steal from me. I did not let him."

"Let me see," he stopped to look at her.

"I took care of it," she kept walking.

"Let me see."

"Really, that is unnecessary, Sesshomaru."

"Moriko," he commanded.

She stopped dead in her tracks, like he was pack leader. She submitted like she would if he were her mate. She supposed having a first love could do that to you. She turned to face him as he started to close the gap between them. She lifted her shirt, showing him what remained of Naraku's curse on her abdomen. He put a finger over it, tracing it lightly. She didn't wince, seeing as she felt no pain. It was indeed a very strange curse.

"It's not healing properly."

"Well its a bit of a strange one but I'm sure I can figure it out."

They fell silent again, Sesshomaru not wishing to challenge her. It had been centuries since they last saw each other, and so much had changed. He was happy with her increase in power, proving that she was the very same demon as before. He didn't know why he cared so much about it, but he did. He caught a glimpse of the mark she carried on her left shoulder blade. It made sense, or else she wouldn't be here, alive and well now.

"You're mated," he stated.

"I am, and have been for nearly two millennia," she replied as they continued to walk.

They finally came out of the forest and into a meadow. The moon was setting, and soon the sun would rise. Moriko was happy that her mate hadn't come looking for her, she was hoping that he could trust she was okay to take care of herself. The two old demon friends walked the meadow together, towards the small dragon demon with two heads. A little ways off in the distance was an imp demon carrying a staff, standing beside a young human girl. She wore rags, and was dirty, being a child of the forest. Moriko kept her steady gaze on the girl while she played in the grass. Curious.

"My old friend, it is good to see you again," Moriko spoke warmly at the two headed dragon.

"You know A-un?" the young human girl came towards them.

"Ah, and it seems you have gained a name while I've been gone. It suits you just fine," the wolf smiles, as A-un nuzzles her hands, "Yes, young pup. We crossed paths thousands of years ago. I am glad to see he is doing well."

"Lord Sesshomaru, what sort of demon have you brought here?" asked the imp suspiciously.

"I am Moriko Chie, the Queen of the Wolf Clan in a much farther path of Makai."

"Well whatever you're doing here I think is over. You can leave us alone, Lord Sesshomaru has no need of wolves!"

"_Lord_ Sesshomaru? Really?" Moriko raised a brow at him, "Sesshomaru I think perhaps you have chosen some strange company since I've been gone."

"How dare you say such things about my master! Lord Sesshomaru is three times the demon you are, and-"

"Jaken, enough," Sesshomaru commanded.

"Yes my Lord, forgive me for speaking out of line," the imp groveled. Moriko rolled her eyes.

"Lady Moriko, did you used to travel with Lord Sesshomaru?" asked the girl.

"What is your name, child?"

"It's Rin, m'lady," the girl have bowed.

"I am your equal Rin, there is no need to call me by Lady."

"But aren't you mated to Lord Sesshomaru?"

Moriko laughed, "No, child. We are just old friends."

"That's enough Rin. Take A-un and Jaken and go find something to eat," said Sesshomaru.

"Yes my Lord!" she smiled widely, turning around and heading towards the forest, "Come master Jaken! You don't want to be left behind!" The imp ran after the young human girl, fretting with every step.

Moriko waited until they were long out of earshot, "Interesting group to be traveling with."

"They chose to follow, I do not control that," the dog demon shrugged.

"But you can tell them to go away. That human girl needs to go back to her people and decide for herself whether or not she wants to be human. It is unfair of you to keep her from that choice."

"I do not control her."

"That's a lie and we both know it. She is your only weakness currently so keeping her close until this threat is over with makes sense. But you should make her go back to live with humans so that she can make the choice for herself. And you know you have to do it because she won't listen to anyone else."

"Perhaps."

"How did you even have a human in your party anyway? You despise them. Is this your way of showing me that you've changed?"

"No, and I won't be bothered wasting my breath explaining it to you. We have a common enemy, and we need to figure out what we're going to do about it. The powers we once combined can seal it, but only for so long. We need a new way to kill it."

"And you're thinking that we can create such a way. We've both grown so much, and I have my mate. I'm sure that there is a way to kill Kiyohime, but like Toguro it will be nearly impossible unless we do it the right way. In the meantime those shikon jewel shards are at their disposal. If that bitch gets her hands on a completed jewel you know that we won't have a chance at winning."

Sesshomaru nodded, mulling over her words. It meant that she would be traveling with his half human brother. She would be exposed, out in the open, easy to attack, "You could chose to stay."

Moriko sighed, looking into the horizon where the sun was beginning to rise, "I would have stayed, but all of a sudden you decided I had to go. You were the one who sent me away, and told me that you would kill me if I did not leave. My life has gone down quite the journey, and I no longer feel any allegiance to you. We are old friends who have a common enemy, nothing more."

He grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. She felt her knees go weak, gazing into that intense golden stare. The skin he was touching was burning her flesh, but she could not move.

"You know that there's more between us than a common enemy," he barely whispered, his breath on her face.

"Perhaps. But I am mated, and wolves mate for life," she whispered back, willing herself to break free of his spell.

He let her go, almost in disgust and turned his back to her, "You've told me that once before. I do not need reminding."

Moriko let out a breath she was holding. The sun was rising and she knew that her mate was unhappy about her missing. But her time here was not done. She had to figure out a plan with this demon, seeing as he was the only other one that knew exactly what they were up against. This was probably going to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. And she would have to do it sooner, rather than later. Fate was a cruel bitch.

...

"Where is San?" asked Genkai.

"She left sometime in the night," said Kurama, clearly unhappy.

"And you just let her go?!"

"She needed to face this Sesshomaru. They have much to discuss about Kiyohime, that I can understand."

"So you just let your girlfriend go off to be with her ex boyfriend? Sure that sounds totally normal," said Yusuke dryly.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Yusuke. From what San told us, this other demon can combine his powers with hers and put a seal on the demon that really only wants their lives. As a strategist it makes sense to speak with him about a plan of attack. And there would be no sense in taking all of us seeing as he isn't the type of demon who joins forces with just anyone. There's less danger among the pack by putting the two targets in one spot far away from us."

"Keh, you sure know a lot about my brother without actually meeting him," grumbled Inuyasha.

Kurama shrugged.

"So where to now?" asked Shippo.

"We've got to find more jewel shards before Naraku and the others do," said Sango.

"I can feel a pulsing coming from the South," said Kurama.

"That's oddly helpful," said Miroku, "If we get close enough, then Kagome should be able to tell us whether or not there's a shard."

Kagome nodded, "Just leave it to me."

"I'll remain here, with Kaede. If Kenji shows up I can fill him in. Besides, I'm too old to be wandering around Makai with my limited spirit power. It's better if I stay here and protect these people. It will also be easier for Koenma to find at least one of us," said Genkai.

"Just don't croak while we're gone grandma," said Yusuke.

"Not a chance, she'll outlive you!" exclaimed Kuwabara.

Kuwabara laughed as Kirara began her trek to the south. Kurama knew that his mate would find them when the time was right, he just wished that he could be there with her while she faced her past demons. He sighed to himself, focusing on the current mission. With Sesshomaru and Moriko in one spot, it was less likely that the rest of them would be attacked, and the fox knew that Moriko would think of it that way. He wasn't worried about her, but he still felt uneasy about her being with a former lover, even if he wanted her dead. But what was he to do anyway? He supposed he would have to see. Fate surely was a cruel mistress.

...

thanks for reading!


	13. Active Volcano

Moriko walked along the meadow with Sesshomaru. Trailing behind them was the two headed dragon demon known as a-un, a small human child called Rin, and an imp demon who wielded a two headed staff named Jaken. She found this group to be a strange one, many things had changed since the two former lovers parted ways. They had not spoken since the morning, only walked in silence. They were headed South, Moriko knowing that was where her mate would head while she was busy here. There was that familiar pulsing of a jewel shard that way, and she could smell her pack in that general direction. They walked at a leisurely pace, the wolf still turning things over in her mind.

"Tell me about this Naraku," she spoke softly.

"He is a parasite," Sesshomaru replied, almost with indifference. But she knew him better than that.

"I already knew that. Tell me why Kiyohime decided to bring him back. She picked two demons specifically for the two of us. Why Naraku?"

"He has been a nuisance since his filthy existence."

"I see. He tricked you, used you to his own advantage. I'm almost shocked."

"I will kill him this time, all of them. This other demon that is with them, what relevance is it to you?"

"Toguro. He's been a thorn in my side since the Dark Tournament."

"The Dark Tournament? You were involved in that."

"The last one, yes. I've spent the last few years in Ningenkai. Well, there and trapped in another world. That Reikai Yogen seems to have seized control of my life."

Sesshomaru was quiet, his eyes narrowed slightly, "You design your own fate," he spoke coldly.

Moriko looked at him curiously, wondering why he seemed so upset you hear that she was directly involved with the prophecy. Really, it should not have mattered to him since he's the one who sent her away. There was something more here that she was missing, but she could not remember anything about what went wrong and why. It was of no matter now, it was a very long time ago and she was mated. Her path went in a very different direction than this demon at her side. But still, she couldn't help but feel there was something she was forgetting, a stronger connection than she remembered. She knew she was confused when he sent her away, hurt almost beyond repair. She was sure he wanted to mate with her at that time. Was it perhaps the near failure of defeating Kiyohime? That she had become a weakness to him?

But he turned cold. He looked at her like she was scum hardly worth scraping off of his shoe. And it came out of nowhere. One day things were fine, the next, nothing but hatred. She remembered that hateful stare that bore into her soul. It still brought her pain to think of it. She internally sighed, as she recounted her journey back to her home, where not a week later her mate had broken in. That put a small smile on her face. It was fate, that was for sure. If anything, Sesshomaru had taught her that she could love, and that it could exist in her life, so she was prepared when Youko entered it. But still, something didn't seem right about how things happened with the dog demon. If only she could figure it out.

"I'm curious, if Naraku was vanquished within the shikon jewel, then how is it that the others trapped in there were not freed once the thing shattered," Moriko mused.

"The jewel itself is evil, with only the intention to keep despair across the Makai. I do not need its stupid power, but that is why it attracts other demons. Once the jewel was whole and in Naraku's possession it seemed to control him in the end. The miko was supposed to have put an end to it with her wish, but she didn't. That's something I might have to fix."

"I never much cared for the thing either. But I did see it once a long time ago in the Slayers village. Long before I met you."

"I'm surprised you never brought your bandit mate to come and retrieve it."

"He is much smarter than to follow a silly lead like that. That is how he became legend."

Sesshomaru kept his mouth shut again. He wasn't really interested in speaking of her mate. In fact the whole purpose of her being here was to fight off an old enemy so that the two of the could part ways once more. Having her here was only making things worse for himself, but still they were following the trail left behind by his half human brother. So long as the miko was out gathering jewel shards, it meant that their enemies wouldn't be far behind. It was probably the only way to track them until someone revealed a scent of some sort, whether it be Naraku, Toguro, or the bitch Kiyohime herself.

...

"How much longer?" Shippo whined as he looked much like a wilted flower on Kagome's shoulders.

"What are you complaining about runt? You're not even walking!" grumbled Inuyasha. Shippo gave him a nasty look.

"It is getting quite hot outside," said Botan, fanning her face with her hand.

"Yes. I suspect it has something to do with the active volcano we're walking towards," said Kurama nonchalantly.

"Active volacano?!" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"Shit, I didn't think to bring my anti lava suit," mused Yusuke.

Kuwabara cringed, "You have one those Urameshi?"

San, Genkai or even Hiei's comment would have been appropriate right now. But neither of the three seemed to be present. Kurama sighed, "We could have used Puu instead," he spoke, trying to cut the tension of such a ridiculous statement.

"I thought it would be best if he was sitting around Genkai's so that Yukina wasn't left all alone and Hiei wouldn't have to worry about it whenever he shows up," said Yusuke.

"Wow Yusuke, that was good thinking!" said Botan.

"I'm inclined to agree," said Kurama.

"Yeah it was grandma's idea," said Yusuke, practically patting himself on the back.

"Of course it was," said Keiko, "I was almost suspicious when you said you thought it was best. You never think."

"HEY I COULD HAVE THOUGHT OF IT!"

"And this is your Reikai Tantei?" asked Miroku.

"You'll have to forgive us. We're so used to such rash behaviour on his part its hard to imagine him thinking," laughed Botan.

"Oh I know what you mean," said Sango, giving a meaningful glance over at Inuyasha.

"Hn. See if I save your sorry lives next time!" Inuyasha spat back.

"Birds of a feather..." trailed Kurama lightly.

"What was that fox boy?!" the two rash half breeds yelled in unison.

The rest of the party laughed as they continued on their journey.

...

"There's definitely a jewel shard here," said Kagome, as they were nearing the foot of the mountain.

"Knowing our luck its at the top of the volcano," said Yusuke dryly.

"I can take a look up there on my oar?" offered Botan.

"Flying would expose us to the dangers of our enemy," said Kurama, "It will be slower to go on foot, but at least our enemy doesn't know where we are. I suspect we were being led here the whole time."

"I don't smell anything," said Inuyasha.

"Me neither, that's what makes this so suspicious."

"Do we really have to go up there?" Kuwabara whined.

"It's so hot my fur is going to melt off," Shippo complained as well.

"Stay here then," said Yusuke, starting to walk.

"Yeah I'm sure somehow we'll manage without an oaf and a runt," said Inuyasha, following suit.

"Shut up Urameshi! If you think I'm just going to stay back while you be the hero you're wrong!" shouted Kuwabara.

"Your friends are quite strange," Miroku observed towards Kurama.

The fox sighed, "I suppose I am used to these antics by now. It's usually easier with San in command."

"Where is she?"

"Still with Sesshomaru I suspect, but she is following me here."

"It must be hard for you in this sort of situation," said Sango, bringing up the ranks with Miroku, Kurama and Kagome.

"My personal feelings don't much belong in a war. Sesshomaru will not harm her or else she would not have gone to him. Wolves mate for life so I have nothing to worry about in that aspect. What I do not like is the two of them together, out in the open and exposed being the primary targets. It puts her life in danger."

"Sesshomaru is very powerful. He'll have Rin with him and he'll make sure nothing happens to any of them," Kagome assured. Besides, the priestess had her suspicions about the dog and the wolf.

"Kagome is right. Her well being is something you will not have to worry about so long as she travels with Sesshomaru. And as you said, she will return," said Miroku.

"I hope that you are right," Kurama murmured, not liking the feeling he was getting from the volcano they were headed towards.

They walked slowly up the narrow passageway, the only viable route towards the jewel shard. Kurama could sense those demon insects around, and was keeping his nose out for the stench of Toguro. Given Inuyasha's hatred for Naraku, he was sure the half breed would alert them once he caught onto it. Without San around, he would not know if Kiyohime was here as well, seeing as she was the only one that knew the demon's scent. But he at least knew that she was close by, even if he could not smell her. Of course she would be masking herself, to the point that he could not be exactly sure of how far behind she was. That was a good thing though, if he couldn't find her, then neither could their enemy.

The pulsing of the jewel shard was ringing in his ears. It was distracting, making it hard for him to focus. He wondered why Kirara and Shippo could not feel it. Perhaps it was because the two demons weren't at the level of power he was at. He wished that Hiei was here, then he could at least have a better idea of what was going on. He had come to dependent on the small fire demon that he was almost lost without him. Almost.

Kagome felt more than one jewel shard up in the volcano. Once they had gotten closer then she was able to feel there were at least 6 of them. She was sure it was Naraku or Toguro or even Kiyohime. Traveling with these people made their journey a little less stressful, even if they had taken away the world she'd known and forced her to learn of a new one. She was mostly mad at herself for not catching onto it. The power of demons would wipe out humanity, especially with the demon slayers gone. Stupid, she should have known. Things were so like feudal Japan because nothing had really changed since the barrier was created. At least now she knew she supposed. She just wished she was able to stop the shikon jewel from hurting anyone ever again.

A gentle breeze reached them, causing all of them to stop. Inuyasha growled, as Kurama's eyes hardened. Toguro and Naraku were there. So this was a trap, and they were once again willingly walking into it. But what choice did they have. Now at least, they were more powerful than before, and their combined strength should be able to defeat their enemies once and for all.

...

The sun was beginning to set, as Sesshomaru and Moriko continued their leisurely pace towards the South. She noted that the air was beginning to get warmer, which meant that the mountain they saw in the distance was a volcano. It was active, and she knew that was where her mate and the others had gotten off to. She could still feel the pulsing leading her in that direction. And if the others were still going that way, then it meant that the miko had confirmed it was a jewel shard.

The two demons stopped as the wind blew, feeling the air change as the sun said its final farewells for the day. They looked at each other, both sensing the same thing. Moriko could smell that retched Toguro and Naraku. But that wasn't what had them on alert. Kiyohime, she was there, with jewel shards. Moriko then drew in a sharp breath, dropping to her knees and clutching her abdomen with one arm.

"Lady Moriko!" Rin, the young human child ran towards the wolf.

"Moriko," Sesshomaru knelt down with her, his eyes calculating.

"The others are in danger," she spoke between short and seething breaths, "My mate is in pain," she confirmed what she was feeling.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly, as he stood tall and looked towards the volcano. Naraku and Kiyohime were there, which meant that the others had foolishly walked straight into a trap in order to draw out the wolf. And Kiyohime knew that he would be with her, which is why she had unveiled Naraku's scent as a guarantee. He growled slightly as he saw Moriko stand up with hard tawny eyes. He summoned his cloud, stepping onto it and offering his hand out to the wolf, who was still in her mate's pain. She took his hand, gasping slightly at the power he offered her for healing. She could no longer feel the pain of her mate, and that confused her a bit.

She had no time to think of it however, as the two of them soared towards the volcano, Rin, A-un and Jaken not far behind them. Hopefully they would deal with the matter once and for all so that she could go home for some much needed peace.

...

"This Urameshi is as stupid as you say if they all walked into yet another trap," said Naraku as Kurama and the others arrived.

They had walked about halfway up the mountain, and then into the cave, following the jewel shards and stench of their enemies. Kurama couldn't believe that Toguro was alive until he finally saw him in the flesh. He could not, however, see any sign of their leader. She was probably waiting for Sesshomaru and Moriko to show up before she made an appearance. Kurama knew that his mate would follow him here.

"Hard to believe he actually killed my brother," said Toguro, staring at them with hatred, "I want to rip off the pretty hair of the fox for what he did to me. One strand at a time, very slowly."

"Your fights with me!" yelled Kuwabara.

"So be it then!" yelled Toguro, stretching his hands towards the young seer.

Kuwabara unleashed his sword, thwarting off the attack. Toguro, however, moved his fingers like a snake, and was just about to make contact with Kuwabara's back. Kurama knew that the blow would be fatal, and was about to act with his rose whip as Yusuke shouted the boy's name. But Toguro's attack was blocked, his fingers suddenly falling off with a clean slice. Kuwabara had vanished while everyone else looked stunned for a moment.

"Why can't any of you pests kill your enemies once and for all?!" exclaimed Hiei with distaste, dropping Kuwabara behind Keiko and Botan and coming to stand beside Kurama.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," said Yusuke.

"Why'd you do that tiny! I had him right where I wanted him!" shouted Kuwabara.

"Can you all just shut up! Wind scar!" Inuyasha unleashed his sword and sent it towards Toguro and Naraku.

The others took action at that point. Sango hopped on a much bigger Kirara with Miroku, Kurama drew out his rose whip while Hiei prepared his dragon. Yusuke and Kuwabara had their spiritual energy at the ready while Inuyasha wielded his sword. Kagome stayed behind with her bow, near Keiko, Botan and Shippo. There was no orchestration between their attacks, it was like firing here and there. Kurama observed, as did Hiei, waiting for a good moment to strike. The rashness of Yusuke, Kuwabara and Inuyasha was doing enough damage around the cave that had a nice drop into lava. Kurama noted that Sango and Miroku watched as well, fending off anything that came their way.

"This is stupid," Hiei had finally had enough. He began to power up, all of it focused in his right arm.

"We might want to take some cover," said Yusuke, noting that this was much more powerful than it had ever been thus far.

"What do you mean, why?!" Inuyasha was unhappy. But then he looked over at Hiei, and could feel what the other half breed was saying.

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" declared Hiei, sending his dragon towards both Toguro and Naraku.

It was a thunderous attack, that drove the top of the cave off, which also was starting to cause a cave in. Kurama looked back and noted that Botan had erected a barrier to stop the debris from hitting them. It was rather large, but he then noted the faint whisper of Keiko's demonic energy helping keep the rubble away as the ground was shaking with the force of Hiei's attack.

"I've never seen such power before," said Miroku.

"Boy I'm sure happy he's on our side," said Shippo, who was shaking from the sheer force of Hiei's energy.

"I only wish it were enough to finish off our enemies," said Kurama.

"What?! You mean that's not enough?!" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"If he was able to make a direct hit I'm sure it will have weakened them immensely."

"Which could give us a chance to finish him off," said Miroku.

Hiei was standing at the front of them party as they waited for his dragon to return to his right arm. Botans barrier was still up, but there was no way to tell when this cave in would stop. He wasn't sure how long the pilot could keep this up, she was never one with strong reiki to begin with. The smoke was starting to clear, the night sky becoming visible. The cave was finally at some sort of stability, Keiko still hiding under Botan's reiki to keep them safe. Kurama wasn't ready to spring the half demons on them yet, he wanted their enemies to think that Keiko was the weakest link and still a mere human.

But they saw that Toguro and Naraku were completely unharmed, inside of a barrier of their own. Inuyasha growled while Kurama's green eyes narrowed hatefully. In the middle of the two demons was a woman. She was beautiful, long dark hair and a pale complexion. She had a smile on her face, happy to have been here it seemed. Yusuke noted that Keiko shuttered at the sight of this very evil demon in front of them. This must be her, Kiyohime, the one behind all of this so far. Kurama felt his chest tighten, she wasn't masking whatsoever, she was drawing in her targets. This demon, Kurama knew that his mate and Sesshomaru were lucky to be able to seal it. No wonder they couldn't kill her.

"The pawns, toys for my minions to play with," she identified. Her voice was soft, even dreamy. Like she was recounting deep love.

"You're the one behind this," said Miroku.

"Yes I am. I don't much care for getting innocent lives involved, but from what these two tell me I'll need you all in order to get what I want."

"I do not know how exactly you plan to do that as a mere corpse!" shouted Moriko, dropping in from the sky with Sesshomaru at her side.

"Ah there you are. I was wondering where you had gone to."

"Enough of this idle banter. Now die," said Sesshomaru.

He began with his poison whip, stretching it towards Kiyohime. Moriko was up in the air as well, her mouri koba ready. The three of them looked like blurs as the former lovers attempted to kill their greatest enemy. None of them managed to hit anything besides more of the cave. Botan's barrier had dropped, all eyes focused on the fight at hand. Anyone could feel the hatred that grew between all of them. Kiyohime fended off every attack with here hands, effortlessly. The two of them worked well together, you would never have known that they hadn't seen each other in centuries.

Finally, Naraku was ready to strike. With Kiyohime the two of the created a twister, a very strong one that managed to even engulf A-un that was flying a very good distance away. Moriko tried to keep track of everyone, trying to find her enemy while making sure her pack was alright. It was stronger than something Jin could conjure up. They spun, higher and higher up, Moriko having trouble seeing, the sheer force of the wind pressing against her skin. She caught a glimpse of her enemy, and began charging her dark energy. Her target in sight, she fired her dark shot.

But that seemed to be what Kiyohime was waiting for. She countered the wolfs attack and caused a massive explosion on all of them. Moriko grabbed the closest body to her as she was blown a great distance away. The volcano erupted at the same time, making it impossible to be able to find the rest of her pack. The last thing she could smell was blood, and the last thing she saw was red before she lost consciousness.

...

thanks!


	14. How Things Are

Moriko's pointed ear twitched slightly, hearing the chirping of a bird. She came to consciousness, though she kept her eyes closed. She heard the bird once more, and noted that there was light behind her eyelids. The sun was out, a lone bird was chirping, and there was no immediate danger. Her body ached, every part of it. She did not wish to move, but to simply stay where she was and rest. That did not seem like such a bad idea, in fact, if it weren't for some rustling in the trees she would have done just that. But she opened her eyes slowly, blinking just once and saw she was on the forest floor. Her hair was in her face, so she was unable to see clearly what that lump was in front of her, but she appeared to be gripping a part of it very tightly.

And then she remembered what she was doing here. She had gone to save her pack from Kiyohime, only to fall into the bitch's trap and get flung away by her power and an erupting volcano. She had no idea what happened to the others, but she managed to grab onto somebody to try and save them. Her body ached from such a blast, and who knows how far she had come from where she was. But she had to get up. She willed herself to do so, letting go of the fabric in her hand and pushing her hair out of her face. She got herself halfway up, ignoring the dizzying effects of her head. She then noted that she had grabbed onto the strange monk, Miroku. She saw no sign of anyone else near her, she hoped that they were safe.

She pulled herself to lean against the nearest tree, looking on her person for some sort of compound she could make for herself and the monk. There was no way she was going to find the others if she couldn't move herself, and she wouldn't have the human slowing her down. As she put things together, she kept wondering what the end goal was with Kiyohime. Truthfully, the demon could have killed them all on the spot. But instead they had gone to a lot of trouble to bring them all together and then separate them again. What was the point of that? What was she planning? There was something else besides revenge going on here, and Moriko was going to figure it out. She would not allow anymore harm to come to her pack.

Judging from the sun she was sure it was early morning, which meant that she was out for a while or just for the night. She felt much better after her herbs, and was ready for when the monk would get up. She was lucky that she didn't have to wait very long, he began to stir just as she was finishing up her resting. He used his staff to pull himself up, trying to get his bearings. The wolf imagined that he was about as confused as she was about the whole thing, but she was silent, giving him the time that he needed. Finally, he turned towards her, blinking a couple of times.

"Who are you?" asked Miorku, rubbing his head.

"I truly hope that you do not have amnesia, I do not think I have anything that could help with memory loss," replied the wolf, handing him a liquid form of her healing herbs, "Drink this, it will help with your pain."

"Thank you," he responded, taking the medicine from her and taking a long drink, "I do not have amnesia, I just have never seen you before."

"I suppose you have not, yet. I am Moriko Chie, this is my demon form."

"I should have known by your eyes. Are there any others around here?"

"I have not yet had a chance to look. We all took quite the blow. I believe that Kiyohime has purposefully separated us, though for what reason I could not tell you."

"That's a good assumption, given that you and Sesshomaru were exactly where she wanted you to be."

"Yes, she was clever using my mate and Sesshomaru's hatred to draw us out. But she did not even try to kill either of us. I can only wonder why."

"As you said, she separated all of us. I do not think she intended for any of us to end up together."

"It is of no matter. I can find anyone so long as I have a scent. Your group does not tend to mask themselves, and I can trace the reiki and demonic energy of my pack. Sesshomaru, I am sure, will find me once again, when it is necessary."

"I thought he wanted to kill you."

Moriko's tawny eyes softened, "Those were his words... There are more important things at hand."

"There is a much deeper connection between the two of you than you let on. What really happened?"

The wolf sighed exasperated. She wasn't really interested in thinking about her past, let alone telling it to this monk. But she couldn't help but have the same suspicions as he did. That something much more happened back then. She watched as he took a drink. Despite something that was nagging at her, he seemed to be the most calm and rational of Inuyasha's pack. She supposed telling him would be the least of her worries among any of them, aside from maybe the miko, Kagome.

"It is really as I said. He kidnapped me, did not kill me, forced me on a journey that intrigued me as time went on. I once deceived a demon into letting me kill Sesshomaru in exchange for my freedom. But truth be told, despite the dog forcing my hand, I knew from the moment I saw him that he was who I needed to be with. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself at being caught that I could not focus on my real thoughts. I killed the demon that Sesshomaru was going to kill anyway, and then willingly continued on this quest. I did fall in love with him, and I know he cared for me. I never mated with him, but I know that I wanted to for the first time in my life. And I knew that he wanted to. But as I said, one day things were going well, and then the next they were completely opposite. All of a sudden he grew cold, distant, and hateful. I did not give up though, I knew that there was something still there. His eyes told me so, almost like they were sorry for how he was treating me. Like his hand was forced into it and there was nothing either of us could do about it. Finally, he forced that all away and threatened my life if I did not leave. Threatened to kill me if I did not stay away. So I turned my back on him, hurt, heartbroken as you humans might say, and I never returned," she recounted the tale with a heavy heart, "In many ways, I feel that I am responsible for how he behaved over the years until recently. A-un, his two headed dragon was the only friend he really had besides me. After I left, I kept tabs on him for a few decades, learning that he was even more cold hearted than when I had first encountered him. I caused him pain, and it is probably what drove him into the hollow life he lives now."

Miroku was silent, studying the wolf and turning over every word she had spoken. He recalled the fight between Sesshomaru, Moriko and Kiyohime, following as much of their movements as he could. He saw the hatred Sesshomaru carried for Kiyohime, and how protective he was of Moriko. The demon Lord definitely still had some sort of feelings for this wolf, but there was something he was hiding, "It almost sounds like you can't remember everything," Miroku chose his words carefully.

"It feels that way. Like there is a piece of the puzzle I am missing. I imagine it is what drives me to be near him still. I do not with to upset my mate, but I know there is more to this. It is no accident that I have come back here. My fate is closely tied with the Reikai Yogen, and I believe that this is part of some sort of smaller task to help complete it."

"Perhaps. You are a very strange wolf from the others that I know."

Moriko shrugged, "Different areas breed different wolves. The ones that you encountered around here used to be part of my pack in the Clan back where I rule. But when the plague hit lots of them were left behind. They of course, migrated down here where they could live in peace in the mountains. They felt abandoned and refused to return, and as a result, formed their own tribe with their own rules."

"Some things never change though, wolves mate for life, and I was frequently reminded of that when one of the wolves had his sights set on Kagome."

Moriko laughed a rich and throaty laugh, "I imagine Inuyasha was extremely happy about that."

Miroku chuckled, "They were almost best friends."

The two of them laughed again over their joke. The monk finished his medicine, then handed the wolf back her cup of leaves. She simply demolished them, not wanting to leave any trace that they were there. She stood up, no longer feeling any pain in her legs. She lifted her shirt, looking once more at her abdomen. Naraku's curse was still there, and it looked like it was getting worse. The dark purple of the poison had spread, probably a result of getting injured. The cut itself looked deeper, and the skin around it almost looked like it was dying. Still, she could feel no pain from it, and the poison did no affect her.

"That does not look healthy," said Miroku.

"I have never encountered a curse like this. But so long as it stays at bay I can manage it until I figure something out."

"I too, feel the lasting curse of Naraku," he spoke softly, holding up his right hand that was covered in prayer beads.

"What happens when that holy seal is broken?"

"It will open up a wind tunnel. The more I use it, the more it grows, slowly ready to take over my life. But it has its uses. I hate to admit, I was almost lost without it for the short time that I was free of it."

"Naraku spreads pain and grief among his trail. If I do not get the chance to kill him then perhaps you will be rid of him within his own curse. Though I would not be in such a rush to free yourself, it might be the very thing we need to finally dispose of Toguro. There is no coming back from a wind tunnel."

"Yes I had thought of that myself."

"Can you stand?"

He nodded, getting to his feet, "Whatever it is that you gave me has helped a lot."

"You'll still need a proper rest, but for now you won't be able to slow me down. I am going to change form and hunt down the others. You are too slow and I need the full use of my senses. Once I change, hop on my back and hold on tight, I am one of the fastest demons in Makai."

The monk nodded, as she slowly began her transformation into her wolf form. When she was done a bigger than normal wolf was in place. There was the mark of the bandit on her left shoulder blade, a blue and purple rose with silver pedals falling freely. Miroku could also see Naraku's curse on the wolf's belly, almost glowing against her white fur. He did, however, follow her instructions and carefully got onto her back. He braced himself as she took off at demon speed, following the scent of one of her pack mates.

...

Inuyasha felt rain drops on his face. It made him stir, grunting in pain as he came to consciousness. He put a hand to his head, sitting up slowly. The sun was going down, he had no idea how long he had been out in this tall grass. He looked around for Kagome and the others, but could only see the Keiko girl looking at him curiously. He supposed she was wondering if he was still alive. She did look worried, and he found it strange that she would worry about him.

"I'm so happy you're not dead," she spoke relieved.

"Thanks?" he replied, not really sure what to say, "Why do you care anyway? You don't even know me."

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years its that when you're part of a team you care about all of them. Even Hiei who constantly leaves always comes back to make sure we're all okay. Yusuke and San say you're part of the team and you're not a bad demon."

"They seem to go out of their way to hide the fact that you're a half demon," he wasn't quite sure how to react to her words.

She frowned, looking down, "I don't want to be a demon..." she spoke softly.

"Keh. What being a half breed isn't good enough for you?!" he crossed his arms.

"I used to be fully human. But... I didn't want to die so early that Yusuke would forget about me. I met a sorcerer in the seers village, and he infused a demon into me. I've only gone to my full demon form a couple of times, I have no control over it. And the others... they've done so much to try and help me. Kurama said that so long as no one knows that I'm part demon then they can't use me to their advantage."

"They're trying to protect you from the brutal world a demon lives in. You're lucky to have such good friends."

"I am. Are you hurt?"

"I'll heal. Let's get out of here and find the others. Who knows what that Naraku will do now that we're all over the place. I have to find Kagome."

Keiko nodded, standing up slowly. She waited as the half breed got to his feet, looking around him. He frowned, looking frantically for something. He searched a wide radius while Keiko stayed put, not really knowing what to do. He seemed to be getting angrier, clearly not being able to find what he was looking for.

"What are you looking for?" she asked carefully.

"My sword! It's gone!" he growled.

"I'm sure we'll find it."

His temper was very similar to Yusuke's. In fact, there were so many similarities that Keiko almost knew exactly what to do. Almost. She had to remain calm, she knew that his sword was probably his most prized possession. He wouldn't be focused on anything else until he got it back. And just as right, since she knew what it was capable of. She took a breath as she waited for him to stop moving. The sword was clearly not in this vicinity, it probably got blasted away like the rest of them. The sun was going down, it would probably be harder to find in the night with the rain.

"Hop on, I can't look if you're slowing me down," he spoke, turning his back to her.

Keiko slowly hopped onto his back, holding onto this kimono tightly. He took off at demon speed, towards the forest in what she assumed was the direction they had come from. She tried to keep her eyes peeled for the sword but wasn't sure that she would be much help. Twilight had set in, and she couldn't see so well in the dark. She was hoping that Inuyasha could, and that he knew where he was going. The moon had come out, and the two of them slowed down.

"Shit!" he yelled, letting Keiko down and taking cover in the trees.

"Are you okay?" she asked, walking cautiously towards him.

"I'm fine! Just go away!" he shouted, covering himself in shadow.

"Now hold on a minute! You can't just tell me to go away after you went through all that effort to get us here! Now stop hiding and tell me whats going on!" she commanded.

Inuyasha grumbled, then came out of the shadows. Keiko looked at him confused, wondering why he was hiding. He looked different, that was for sure. Instead of silver hair, it was turned black, and he no longer had canine ears. His eyes changed colour to, he looked quite human. Why would he want to hide something like this? What was so wrong with it?

"On nights of the new moon, I lose all my demonic powers and become a full human. It's only for a night, but I can't let anyone know. If Naraku found out..." he was hesitant, unable to look her in the eyes.

She was calm, not really sure what she should say. He was very vulnerable, and they didn't know each other that well. Nothing could have really prepared her for this. But she understood how he felt. He was all alone here with a stranger, how was he supposed to be okay with something that he perceived was a weakness? She didn't know really what to do. But if his demonic powers were indeed gone for the night, then it meant that she was the only one who could protect them. Fine, she wasn't going to be useless, she would make sure they got through the night.

"I won't tell anyone," she spoke softly, hoping that he would trust her.

He nodded at her, still shrinking away in the shadows. Keiko sighed, going to sit and lean against the other side of the tree. She kept her ears and eyes open, though she wasn't quite sure she knew what she was looking for. Her training with Jin wasn't much, and it wasn't in Makai. She wished she had more training, she never thought she would be in a situation like this. But Yusuke was so over protective of her, he didn't think that Reikai would be able to keep peace at the temple. He insisted that she come with him, and that only made her nervous because it made her a liability. With more training, she might actually be of some use to them.

"Have you always been a half demon?" she asked, not really wanting to sit in silence.

"Yeah. I was born that way. My mother raised me as long as she could," he spoke.

"How long ago was that?"

"Centuries. I spent a long time training," he shrugged.

"Is that really what demon life is? Fighting?"

"Yes. And it's worse for us half breeds. We're neither accepted by humans nor demons. It's the whole world against us, and the only way to survive is to fight."

"But there's got to be more to life than just fighting.. even in this demon world," her voice was soft, her brain calculating.

"It's how things are. If I didn't learn I wouldn't be here now."

"But Kagome and the others accept you."

"You can't see the struggle because you grew up a human. And even when you became a demon you were already part of a pack. You already had people there to care for you. It's not like that for half demons like me."

Keiko sighed sadly, "You're right of course. I'll never know how horrible it is to grow up the way you did. But you're with people that you care about. And those people care about you. And our team is there for you. The connections you've made as you've gone through your life is what you should focus on, not how hard the past was."

"Easier said than done. You said yourself you wish you were still human."

"Well according to Kurama and San I'll stop to think that way the more demon I become. I'll wish I was a full demon. Besides, there's this prophecy that they're following that says this was supposed to happen to me anyway. Apparently there's something only I can do and I can only do it as a demon."

"That sounds like a load of bullshit if ya ask me."

Keiko was about to reply when she heard something. She knew Inuyasha heard it to, because he was right there in front of her in an instant. So even without his demonic energy, he would still protect her. But Keiko promised herself that she would be useful. She kept herself on guard, just in case. She heard the human in front of her growl, he knew there was something out there. It was at that moment that Keiko wondered just how well his senses worked as a human. He was used to doing this at least once a month, and he managed to keep his secret safe. She could only assume he was used to this sort of thing. But then, how often were powerful enemies in pursuit of them? That was a question she felt she would never know the answer to.

It was then she could sense something. Her body tingled, like something was watching her. She stood up and looked in the direction it was coming from. She had to be sure though, she didn't want to have them expose themselves for nothing. She could only hear the sound of raindrops.

"I think there's something over there," she pointed West.

Inuyasha turned to look, and then nodded, "There's definitely something over there. Let's go."

She was about to protest but he was already walking. She had a very bad feeling about this.

...

thanks so much!


	15. A Crutch for the Weak

Rin observed the small demon that was unconscious on the forest floor. She didn't know him, but he was attacked with all of the rest of them. She looked over at A-un, who was also watching with curious eyes. She sighed slightly, going back to sit against the tree and waited for him to get up. Whatever he had done, he managed to keep her and her friend from getting hurt, so she wasn't going to just leave him here. She wanted to thank him, and hopefully get his help to find Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Moriko. And Jaken, who was also blown away with the blast.

"Do you think he'll wake up soon?" she asked her two headed demon friend. A-un was unresponsive, just simply laid down and waited with her.

Their attention was brought towards the opposite direction. Someone was coming, someone who was very noisy. The dragon demon took a protective stance in front of Rin and her saviour, waiting.

"Kohaku!" Rin cried, running towards her friend who was in full demon slayer attire.

"Rin! I thought that was you I saw falling here. What happened? Where is Lord Sesshomaru?" the young boy asked, looking beyond A-un to see another demon, "Who is that?"

"I don't know who he is, but he saved me from getting hurt. Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Moriko went towards a volcano, and there were three demons there and one of them was Narkau!"

"Naraku?! Are you sure?"

Rin nodded, "Yes, your sister and Inuyasha were there to. Someone brought Naraku back to life. It's the demon Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Moriko hate so much."

"Who is Lady Moriko?"

"Lord Sesshomaru's girlfriend. At least, they certainly act like they're in love..."

"What? Start from the beginning."

"Will you two humans shut up!" they heard an unfriendly voice. They turned to see the apparition grunting as he got up, holding his head.

"Oh, you're awake! Are you alright?" asked Rin, running up to him, "Maybe you should lie down-"

"Hn. I don't need some silly human girl telling me what to do. Where is Toguro?"

"Toguro? Is that one of the demons that was attacking Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Moriko?"

"Did you just say Lady Moriko?"

"That's right. You know her?"

"Hn. Maybe you'll be more useful to me than I thought. Is your demon Lord the one that dropped in before I was able to kill that foolish Toguro?"

"Yes. But from what I could hear there was a demon that both Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Moriko hate and is going to try and kill them."

"Hn. So those fools walked right into the trap," he growled, getting to his feet, "Hop on your beast and find your master before some other demon comes along and eats you."

"Hey!" shouted Kohaku, "You can't talk to her like that!"

"I don't have time to babysit you humans, I have to go and kill Toguro and those other foolish demons. Apparently my 'team' can't do anything right."

"But shouldn't you find your friends first?" asked Rin.

"Hn. Friends are a crutch for the weak," but then he dropped to his knees.

"See? You're hurt. Here, hop on A-un and we'll go find everybody together!"

"I don't need your help!" but he was unable to protest as the small human girl pushed the fire apparition onto the dragon demon.

Kohaku and Rin both hopped on as well, ignoring the protest behind them as they took off into the sky. The sun was setting, but at least from up here they would have a good vantage point. Rin looked for the mountain that they were originally thrown from, but she couldn't find it. It was so huge before she was sure that they didn't travel that far. She couldn't be sure though, seeing as she didn't remember much from the initial blast. She could only remember being swept up in a tornado and holding on for dear life.

"Sango and the others might head towards Keade's village. That seems to be their home base. I was on my way there to check in but I saw you flying over my head," said Kohaku.

"Then we should head there. Inuyasha will be able to help me find Lord Sesshomaru," said Rin.

"And I can figure out what's going on."

"Hn. This is a demon war. You humans are better left in your village lest you be killed," said the small demon.

"Do we really need him?" Kohaku groaned.

"He saved my life," said Rin.

The demon slayer nodded, then led A-un in the direction of Keade's village. Hopefully the others would be there as well.

...

Kuwabara groaned as he was brought back to consciousness by the bright shining sun. His head hurt, and his body ached in pain. All he could remember was being swept up into the air and then blown away. He lost himself at some point, trying to keep it together but failing with everything that was going on. He held his head as he rose into a sitting position, groaning dramatically as he did. He looked around, noting that he was in some very high grass. He couldn't see anyone near him, couldn't sense any of his companions. He held his head, groaning in pain once more as he remembered how he got here.

He had never felt such power before. If he thought he was scared with Toguro, then Sensui, he was surely mistaken. This demon that they had come here to hunt and kill was something else. He supposed it was lucky that it didn't kill him. But where were the others? His attention snapped in front of him. The grass was rustling, something was coming for him. Weird that he didn't sense it, maybe he was all out of power? He began to cringe, waiting for the right moment to unleash his attack. He could see that the rustling was getting closer. Now it was time.

"Spirit Sword!" he declared, summoning his attack and swinging it violently once.

He made contact with something, and watched as it flew away screaming. It wasn't very big, and from what he could tell was green. It flew quite far from him, and he stood up to see if it was coming again. He saw as the creature ran towards him, this time he could see a staff at the top of the grass.

"You stupid oaf!" the creature shouted, "Staff of two heads!" and a trail of fire starting towards Kuwabara.

The seer's eyes popped out of his head as he ran away from the fire that was trailing behind him. He ran all around the grassland, leaving burning grass behind him. Finally, the fire disappeared and he was standing in front of his attacker. He saw a tiny green imp demon with a staff. The small demon had a hateful look on his face. He took the staff and smacked the seer with it, on top of his head.

"I don't have time to sit here and teach you a lesson, I need you to take me to Lady Moriko so that I can find Lord Sesshomaru!" the demon shouted.

"HEY! Watch it shrimp!" Kuwabara swung his sword back at the imp.

They had a dueling match. The flames were released and repelled by the spirit sword. They were both amateur at best, and there was no way either of them would win over the other.

"Hey wait a minute!" Kuwabara stopped abruptly. Jaken ran right into the seer, flattening and then falling to the floor, "You're looking for San?"

"Listen pathetic human I need to find Lady Moriko so she can help me find Lord Sesshomaru. I know that you've been traveling with Inuyasha so you would know how to find her!" Jaken shouted, standing as tall as he could.

"I don't have any power left, I can't sense anyone anywhere."

Jaken smacked the human on the head with his staff, "Then what good are you?!"

"Listen shrimp if you don't knock it off I'll just leave you behind!" Kuwabara yelled angrily. He glared at Jaken, but then tried to think of what to do. He had no idea where he was, and he was sure the others would try to regroup. The likely idea would be to go find Genkai and see what she had to say.

"Do you know how to get to Inuyasha's village?" asked the seer.

"The priestess' village?"

"Yeah. Urameshi and the others will head there, and they'll be able to help you find your friends."

"I'm impressed."

Kuwabara growled, "Shut up or I won't help you anymore!"

"What makes me think I need you now that I know where the others are going?!"

Kuwabara was making strangling noises, "Oh yeah! Well I'll just follow you! And there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Hmph! Don't expect me to protect you!"

"I can take care of myself!"

And so the fight continued, as they walked towards Kaede's village.

...

"Hey, tiny fox," Yusuke poked at the small kitsune that was passed out on the forest floor, "Hey," poke, "tiny fox," poke, "wake up," poke, poke, "hey," poke, "hey!"

"Stop it!" Shippo yelled, biting Yusuke's finger.

Yusuke screamed, shaking his hand violently while Shippo was still on there. Finally, the connection severed and Yusuke's finger swelled up, purple. Shippo landed with a loud thump on his backside, standing up immediately. He was about to yell at Inuyasha for disturbing him, but then noticed that only Yusuke stood before him. He looked around and noted that the others weren't there either. Strange. But then he remembered, they had all been separated. Yusuke had grabbed him, saving him from the blast that was directed towards Sesshomaru and Moriko.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were Inuyasha," said Shippo.

"I thought you could smell the difference," said Yusuke pointedly.

"I'm not quite there yet on my smells, I'm still learning. Thank you for saving me."

"Anytime, we're a team."

Yusuke stood tall, looking around. He wasn't much of a hunter, to him any forest looked the same. But he could at least feel a demonic presence when it was around him, and that would be good enough. He knew that Kurama and San would be looking for him and this little fox. He also knew that staying in one spot was stupid given that there were powerful enemies about. He didn't know where anyone was, nor how to track them. So, the best he could do was start walking in one direction and hope that it was the right way.

"You don't happen to know where that old lady's village is do you? I'm pretty sure that's where your friends will go to look for you," said Yusuke.

Shippo looked thoughtful, jumping onto the detective's shoulders. He then looked in all directions, Yusuke assuming that he was trying not to look like he didn't know where they were. The human was patient, not wanting to discourage the little guy. He was very brave for being out in the world all alone. It reminded him of his time here in Makai, all the destruction he saw. This part of Makai was definitely more peaceful, he could live here with Keiko when they were done being humans. She would enjoy it more so than other parts of the demon world.

"I think it's this way," said Shippo, pointing North.

Yusuke nodded, "That sounds good to me," and he began to walk.

He noticed that as he walked that rain started to fall. If the tiny fox could smell at all, now it would be even worse in the rain. Yusuke was happy that the tree cover would keep them mostly dry. Unless of course there was a downpour, then they would need to find shelter. The sun was setting, so what little light they would have would be gone soon. What he wouldn't give for one of Kurama or San's little glow plants. He wished he could do something like that. He wasn't quite sure how much this tiny fox could do. He could hardly feel any demonic energy coming from him. Of course that meant he would have to take care the little kitsune. Not that he had a problem with it, but Yusuke wasn't the comforting sort of type. That was more of a Keiko thing.

The sun had set completely, and the rain had only grown heavier. Yusuke could feel the little demons stomach rumbling. That wasn't good. He himself could go without food for days, it was in his genetics. But he wasn't sure what he could do for this child. Keiko would know what to do.

His attention snapped in front of him, hearing an all too familiar scream. His human heart began to race, anger building within him.

"Did you hear that?" asked Shippo.

Yusuke had stopped moving, as another scream, much louder than the first filled his ears. There was no mistaking it this time.

"Keiko!" he shouted, taking off at full demon speed towards her.

Shippo held on for his dear life. He wasn't expecting his companion to suddenly speed up like that. Even this half demon had more power at his disposal than he ever would. All of them did, everyone who came here with Yusuke had immense demonic power. He could only dream of becoming powerful like that. Then maybe one day he could save Kagome and the others, instead of the other way around.

But his silent musing came to an end, as Yusuke stopped dead in his tracks. Shippo could see what the rush was. The rain poured down upon them, but he could see a very ugly bird tying to attack Keiko and Inuyasha in his human form. But Keiko wasn't hurt, Inuyasha was. She had created a wind force field to try and keep their enemy from hurting them anymore.

"Keiko!" Yusuke screamed again. He powered up his spirit energy, forming a gun with his thumb and forefinger, "Spirit gun!" he declared, firing a powerful blow.

It was a direct hit, knocking the enemy back fast enough that the immediate danger was gone. Yusuke ran up to Keiko and Inuyasha, assessing the damage.

"Inuyasha," Shippo jumped down from Yusuke's shoulders to have a better look at his friend.

"Shippo?" Inuyasha grunted, "Where's Kagome?" he asked, pulling himself up.

"I don't know, I thought she would be with you."

Inuyasha growled.

"Keiko, are you alright?" Yusuke put his hands on her shoulders as he looked for any sort of injury.

"I'm fine, Yusuke, but we have to kill that demon, he saw Inuyasha," she replied.

"Did you say kill? Big deal, I see him to."

"No Yusuke, you don't understand, no one can know his secret and I said I wouldn't let anyone know."

Yusuke blinked, "Okay, you're the boss," he cracked his knuckles, walking towards the enemy, "You guys stay here, I'll be back in a minute," he shrugged.

"Will he be okay on his own?" asked Shippo.

"You guys would just slow me down!" they heard Yusuke shout to them.

Shippo crossed his arms annoyed, grumbling about cocky half breeds.

"What was that, runt?" asked Inuyasha, glaring at the kitsune.

But Shippo didn't have time to answer, he was speechless as Yusuke was flung very hard into the tree right beside them. Keiko, Shippo and Inuyasha looked in the direction he came from, seeing the ugly giant vulture standing before them.

"Yusuke!" Keiko called after him. She turned her worried brown eyes back to her attacker, not sure what she should do. Yusuke was dazed, Inuyasha injured and Shippo a little demon.

"Fox fire!" Shippo stood in front of her.

Keiko watched as his attack was brushed off easily by the bird. Her jaw set, she was ready, wasn't going to be afraid. Just like Jin has taught her, she felt the power of the wind within her. She grabbed at the air from the darkest corners of the forest, swirling them into a small twister. The vulture roared, and Keiko raised her arms, the twister bringing her enemy up into the air. She floated with it, watching as it tried desperately to break free of her invisible chain. Keiko knew this would work, because her own enemy had put her into this position in the first place. She smiled maliciously as she was in the heart of the cloud that brought the downpour. She then forced them down towards the ground with such a force that the bird was eight feet deep into a crater. Keiko had knocked out all of the trees and whatever else was in that nine foot radius. She landed effortlessly on the ground beside her enemy. She forced even more wind upon it, making sure that it was dead.

"Keiko..." Yusuke trailed as she walked out of the crater.

She was in full demon form, with her long chestnut hair flying in her own wind. Her evil red eyes bore down upon them, looking like she was ready to kill them. And she would, she blew Yusuke away as he approached, and then turned her sights on Inuyasha and Shippo.

"Keiko, don't let that demon control you," said Inuyasha, grunting as he did, holding his left shoulder, "Don't let that thing take over. You control it, not the other way around."

Keiko stared intently at him. Her eyes narrowed as she raised her hand, ready to strike.

"Keiko don't!" Yusuke yelled as he started to run towards them.

"Stay there you idiot!" Inuyasha commanded.

"She'll kill you stupid!"

"Then so be it just sit down and shut up!"

Yusuke growled but did as he was told. Clearly this stupid demon was onto something. Fine, let him get killed, then he would take care of it from there. It wasn't his responsibility to tell people what to do. Keiko has already tasted blood, she won't stop until she's unconscious.

"Keiko," Inuyasha spoke softly to her. Yusuke could see Shippo shaking as he stood beside his friend. The half breed growled lowly to himself. He wasn't going to let Keiko kill any of his companions, no matter what the stupid demon told him, "No one is in danger, you can calm down now," Inuyasha's voice was soothing, "It's okay," he held up a hand in surrender.

Keiko took one step forward, narrowing her eyes. She raised her own hand, summoning the power of the wind behind it as the rain pelted down on them. She held Inuyasha's gaze, smiling slightly. She took one more step forward, taking an attack stance. But Inuyasha just stood there calmly, gazing at her and waiting. Shippo stood bravely with him. Yusuke walked over there slowly, his fists still clenched, but he could see what the other demon was trying to do. The three of them stood before Keiko, the rain pouring on them and the wind picking up behind her. And then the air fell dead as she dropped to her knees. Yusuke watched as she slowly changed back to her human form, and then fainted.

"Keiko..." he trailed, running towards her.

He could feel that she was weak, and his body reacted naturally to her, healing her. The rain had finally stopped, and the sun rose behind the disappearing clouds. Inuyasha was no longer in pure human form, and he felt much better about that.

"Yusuke," he said. The detective looked towards him, "We have to find my sword and return to Kaede's village."

Yusuke looked back at Keiko. There was no immediate danger with her, so he loaded her on his back and stood, nodding at Inuyasha.

...

thank you so much for your patience! i love you all!


	16. Unworthy

Kurama winced as he woke up. The Makai sun was shining in his eyes, and he was aware that he was leaning against a very solid rock in the dirt. It was drafty, which meant he was high up, perhaps on some sort of cliff. He opened his green orbs, wincing again and taking in a sharp breath, bringing his arm across his chest. One or two of his ribs were broken. That was an easy fix at least. He felt dried blood on his face, but the wound had healed, so his body was functioning normally. He reached into his pocket, but then stopped dead. He brought his head to the right, looking, and then scanning towards the left. He frowned, seeing Sesshomaru standing there, glaring at him. Kurama matched the demon dog's stare, before going back to what he was doing.

He reached into his pocket, grabbing the desired seeds he needed to make a healing compound to help his ribs. He used his energy to make his seeds grow, and then a cup. He liquified his desired ingredients, and then drank in all in one gulp. The taste was bitter, but he could already start to feel the effects of it. He gently poked at his ribs, no longer wincing because there was no more pain. He didn't appear to be injured anywhere else, and he was completely aware of Sesshomaru watching him the entire time.

"She taught you that," Sesshomaru stated.

"She did. She is a very competent healer," replied Kurama, "I take it from you standing here none of the others are around."

"No. Without me you would be dead."

"You have my thanks, though I cannot imagine why you would go out of your way to save my life."

"Because if you die so does Moriko, and I will be the one to kill her."

Kurama glared at him. Any threat upon his mate was one to be taken seriously. But what he saw in that golden stare was not hatred for his mate. No, it was hatred for him. He was the one thing blocking his way to Moriko. Kurama knew that his mate still had feelings for this demon, but here he could see that this demon had absolutely no intention of killing Moriko. No, this demon still had feelings for her as well, which made Kurama wonder why the dog forced her to go away. But the only conclusion he could draw was that loving Moriko meant that there was a weakness, and Sesshomaru couldn't have a weakness, couldn't let someone else have any sort of advantage over him. Yet still, Kurama knew that even if that were the reason, he would risk it. He could see that all in the eyes of his enemy.

"You will not take her life, Sesshomaru. She is protected by the Keepers of the Prophecy, and they will not let you interfere with her life. And in the event that you manage to slip by them, then you will have me to deal with," said Kurama dangerously.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, "You could never hope to come close to my power. You are not only a weak bandit, but you're also half human."

Kurama stood then, facing his challenger. He changed slowly into his demon form, his eyes turning gold, this hair growing, changing to silver. His human ears disappeared, only to pop triangle fox ones out of the top of his head. His finger nails grew into claws, and nine tails flared out behind him. The Legendary Bandit, Youko Kurama. But still he kept in energy masked, he did not want Sesshomaru gauging him in anyway. The dog demon did not care to mask, knew his worth and knew there were few that could defeat him. Underestimating the bandit would be his ultimate demise it seemed.

"Youko Kurama, so we finally meet."

"If you wanted to meet me so badly you could have easily sought me out."

"You would simply hide, just as you are now."

"I am not hiding, Sesshomaru. But I will remind you that Moriko is mated to me, so whatever game you intend to play know that you have already lost."

"I never lose," he said simply.

It was then the attack came. His poisonous claws tried to catch the fox. Youko dodged easily, knowing that the attack was a test of his own speed. He didn't know much about this demon, but if he hadn't unsheathed either of the swords at his side, then that was the attack that the fox should be most weary of. The fox had claws to, but he knew that they would be ineffective. Sesshomaru brought out his poison whip, and that was when Youko unleashed his rose whip. The clashed their long range attacks fiercely, neither gaining an advantage over the other. Youko knew that he was on the defensive, and that his enemy knew that. The fox was waiting, trying to pinpoint a weakness as he usually did. Sesshomaru was arrogant yes, but with good reason.

"Perhaps you ever lose because you never leave this part of Makai," Youko began smoothly, "Anyone can fear a demon that stays in the quiet corners of Makai, where there are more humans than not."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. There, his pride, that was the key, "You talk too much," said the dog, his poison whip finally landing a blow.

Youko was pushed back, but he was not going down. He saw Sesshomaru coming for him, and easily dodged his attack. But it didn't stop there. Those poison claws would kill him, even if the made the smallest scratch. And so the two of them danced around the cliff, both making their moves with exact precision. Sesshomaru still held the offensive, but they were at a stalemate until one of them made another mistake. Youko had to think quickly, seeing as he had never faced an opponent like this before. And he still had not unsheathed either of his swords. After another round of dodging the claws, Youko realized he had no intention of using the swords. Whatever this fight was, no one would die from it.

Youko then blocked the oncoming attack and pushed his enemy away. He felt a searing pain in his left shoulder, but did not smell anything. That pain was not his, it was his mates. He growled lowly, not even knowing where she was. But at least she knew he was alive. A slight movement caught his eye on Sesshomaru. He noticed that his left shoulder flinched slightly, and he looked at it curiously. That was when Youko struck with his rose whip. But Sesshomaru wasn't nearly as distracted as he appeared, grabbing the whip and pulling the fox towards him. He swiftly clawed Youko along the chest and sent him flying off the cliff. The poison took root quickly, and the bandit appeared unable to grab onto something to stop himself from falling over the ledge.

Sesshomaru stood tall as he kept his gaze on the spot he had thrown the fox. The wind blew his long hair, bringing with it the scent of the other members of Inuyasha and Moriko's party. They were all alive it seemed, but he could not pinpoint where they were. It didn't matter right now, he could easily find Rin and Jaken, and call Moriko when he needed her. There was still no sign of the fox. Finally, Sesshomaru went to have a look. He walked at his normal pace, not really concerned about a surprise attack. He came to the edge of the cliff, and saw a shine of silver blow in the wind. Youko Kurama was hanging on loosely to a branch, dangling. The poison was killing him, and soon he would fall. He brought his head to look up at Sesshomaru, and then grunted, letting it fall.

Sesshomaru hovered down towards Youko. He grabbed his fallen enemy, who seemed willing to die at that moment. He then brought them both up to the sand, placing the fox against another rock sitting straight up. He reached into his overcoat, pulling out a small round leaf. He opened Youko's mouth and placed the item underneath his tongue. Sesshomaru watched as the fox began to look less sickly, the antidote taking effect quickly. His head stopped nodding and he looked up sharply, though he was still weak.

"You are not worthy of her," stated Sesshomaru with disgust.

"I frequently remind her of that," replied Youko softly, regaining his strength, "Yet she chooses to stay. And I thank whatever deity that brought her to me. I suppose I should thank you for sending her away."

"You are a fool. I have proven that I can easily kill you, and yet here you are making threats while you cannot even stand to face me."

Youko grunted, smiling slightly, "It does not change that I have still won, Sesshomaru. She is mated to me, and will not leave. And I will not be as foolish as you to send her away because of my pride."

Sesshomaru growled, "You know nothing."

Youko stood slowly, "I know more than you think, you've given everything away," Sesshomaru was about to retort when he noticed the fox dropped to his knees instantly, "This fight is useless," he seethed through clenched teeth. He stood up more alert this time, a malicious look on his face. But Sesshomaru could see that it had nothing to do with him, "Moriko is in danger, I do not have time for this foolish fight," he said finally, taking off in the direction of her scent.

Sesshomaru followed him, knowing full well that Moriko's left leg was severely injured, and that the curse Naraku left upon her abdomen was becoming much more active. He was completely unsure of what the fox knew about that curse, but it appeared that they would soon find out why it was there in the first place.

...

Sango and Botan had built a fire for the night. The young demon slayer and the pilot had landed near a lake, with only one solitary and giant tree. They were both severely injured, but would live. Botan had used her spirit power to repair as much damage as she could. It was at least enough for Sango to find wood and something for them to eat. Botan was not a hunter, she was hardly ever in human form, so she was pretty grateful that she had been with someone who knew this place. It was nightfall by the time they were able to move, so they decided to build a fire and start fresh in the morning, giving their bodies time to heal.

"We can fly on my oar tomorrow," suggested Botan, who did not want to think about walking at that current moment.

"We would be very exposed that way," said Sango, her body still aching.

"I can stay low to the ground, we just wouldn't have to walk."

"That would be much nicer. We'll need to go back to Kaede's village, that's where the others will go."

"And hopefully they can help us find Yusuke and the others."

"Assuming everyone is alive..."

"They are. I'm the pilot of the river styx and I haven't been called to bring anyone to spirit world."

Sango smiled, "That's a relief then. It must be a very lonely job."

Botan shrugged, "It's not as bad as you'd think. Everything is fairly organized, but since we made our mistake with Yusuke I've been walking around more in human form. I forget how fragile human bodies are sometimes," she laughed at that last part.

Sango looked at her confused, not understanding what was so funny. But the slayer also knew that the pilot was a bit of an air head, so she chose not to say anything, simply smiled a little. Her giant bone boomerang was beside her, and she had not the strength to lift it. They were lucky to be alive, she wasn't even sure how it was even possible. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a buzzing coming from Botan.

"What is it?" Sango asked.

Botan didn't answer, she pulled out a small circular object and then opened it, "I'm fine, what is it?" the blue haired pilot spoke to the object, but Sango didn't hear anything, "I'm not sure I have the strength at the moment. I'm not alone, sir. Okay, understood," She closed the object and placed it back in her pocket. She sighed slightly, looking over at Sango, "I've been called back to Reikai. Koenma needs to brief me on the current mission."

"I understand. I suppose I'll tell the others where you went when i catch up with them."

"Oh I won't be leaving you here alone. This is actually perfect timing. Once we're done in Spirit World we'll be able to go straight go the village and Koenma will be able to locate everyone much faster. We'll be able to heal faster as well," she stood, slowly, seeing as she was still very weak. She held out her hand, and then an oar appeared in front of her. She took a seat upon it and then looked over at the demon slayer expectantly, "When you're ready."

Sango stood slowly as well, wincing at the pain. Her body protested her every movement, but she pushed through it, grabbing her giant bone boomerang. It was heavier than usual. but it was only because she had no strength. She was a demon slayer, she could heal. She walked over towards the oar and hopped on. As soon as she was on it, she felt her weight completely disappear, even her weapon had substance, but no weight whatsoever. She didn't have time to ask Botan about it, she was flying high into the sky. She had a nervous feeling about going to Reikai, but if it would help find all of their friends, then she was going to have to set her uneasiness aside and be stronger than she ever hoped.

...

Keiko was asleep by the low fire. Yusuke kept his eye on her, making sure she was in arms reach. The four of them, Keiko, Yusuke. Inuyasha and Shippo had searched long and hard for Tetsusaiga. There appeared to be no trace of it, and no signs of life fro, Keiko since the previous night. Shippo was more than exhausted, and Inuyasha agreed that letting the fox and Keiko get some time to recover. Shippo had set up a fire while Inuyasha found them dinner and Yusuke kept watch. So the two half breeds sat as the other two rested and regained their strength. Yusuke hadn't spoken much since the attack the previous night, he just kept his focus on Keiko.

"How did you know?" Yusuke asked Inuyasha.

"Know what?" Inuyasha kept his gaze on the dancing flames in front of him.

"How did you know that Keiko wouldn't kill you?"

"I didn't," Inuyasha shrugged. They were silent for a while before he realized that Yusuke wanted him to elaborate, "I used to have the same problem. I would change into my full demon form when my life was in danger and lose all control. Kagome used to to be able to calm me down before I learned to control it."

Yusuke didn't say anything, but he understood. He looked over at Keiko. He didn't have any of Kurama, San, Genkai or even Botan's healing powers. Without them, he had no idea now she was doing or how long she would be unconscious. He should have learned how to do that when he had the chance. But it was too late for that now. He would simply have to wait until they reunited with the others. There wasn't much to say either, Yusuke could tell that Inuyasha wasn't interested in leaving the area until he found his sword. But he needed to find the others to, before more attackers came their way.

"Which way is that old lady's village?" asked Yusuke.

"Southwest. I need to find Tetsusaiga and Kagome first. You take Keiko and Shippo and head tat way. I'll catch up."

Yusuke sighed, "I'll help you find Kagome before I regroup with the others at the village. I owe you one for taking care of Keiko."

"You don't owe me anything. But thanks."

Yusuke turned his gaze back towards the flames. He wouldn't sleep tonight, and neither would Inuyasha.

The next morning they set out. Shippo was quiet, but stayed on Inuyasha's shoulders as he ran at demon speed beside Yusuke. Keiko hadn't woken up yet, but from what they understood that was normal for when she changed back into human form. Her body was still adjusting to the transformation, and took a lot of energy out of her. But she would get better, with time. At least, that's what San said.

Inuyasha was following Kagome's scent, but still keeping out an eye for his sword. He mentioned that he could smell a couple other familiar scents but they were too far for him to be sure on their exact location. But it seemed that no matter how far Kagome was he was able to follow in her direction. Yusuke supposed it was only fitting given that the two of them were mated. He had no idea where Keiko was but he was sure some sort of instinct was leading him towards her. Inuyasha stopped abruptly, his face contorted in anger. He growled lowly, his hand balling into a fist.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" aske Shippo, still atop his shoulders.

"Naraku," he seethed.

Shippo gasped and Yusuke's eyes narrowed. He focused, trying to see if he could sense any sort of demonic power. He could, but it felt a long way off. He had an idea of the direction, but he was sure Inuyasha knew where to go based om the scent. He was far more demon than human. Yusuke was right, Inuyasha began to run towards the scent. Yusuke was hot on his heels despite having an unconscious Keiko on his back. Naraku was only one third of the problem, but getting rid of him would make things a hell of a lot easier.


End file.
